Lariat Advance

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 16

Tuesday, November 27th – 1000 hours

The four Schmidts stood on the front porch each wearing a Web belt with a holster. Dave felt warm but wasn't sure if it was a warmer-than-normal day or nerves. He unzipped his jacket partway to get some air.

Dave switched on the survey meter and checked the area down to the driveway gate, gave a thumbs up from there, and walked back to the house. "All clear – not even a flicker on the meter, and my dosimeter reads zero. Tom, why don't you and Sarah keep an eye on the front while Rosa and I check out the back. Keep an eye open for any traffic, and be discreet, ok?"

"Sure thing, Dave," Tom said as he and Sarah sat down on the front steps. Dave and Rosa walked to the left, and disappeared around the side of the house.

Tom leaned against the porch railing and sighed. "Haven't worn a web belt for a while, takes a little getting used to. But it's like riding a bike, it'll come back soon enough."

"Do you think we'll have to do this all the time? I mean, go out armed and all?" Sarah questioned.

Tom thought for a few seconds, then answered. "Probably so, hon. I don't imagine there'll be much of a problem for a while. Centennial is a ways out from anything and we're even more way out here." Both laughed at Tom's turn of phrase. "You know what I mean. Isolated is good and bad. If there's trouble, it'll probably be in the bigger cities, whichever ones survived. Then the thieves and such will spread out. They probably won't think squat about radiation while they're stealing, so they may not be a problem in a week or two."

A rustling noise from the side of the house facing the Garners' place caught Tom's ear. He put a gloved finger to his lips, drew his pistol, and eased to the base of the porch stairs. He glanced at Sarah, silently motioning her to draw her pistol and watch the other end of the house. Just as he was cocking the pistol, Dave stepped from around the corner and abruptly stepped back.

"Tom, Sarah, it's us. We're coming back up front," Dave said in a less-than-level voice.

"Dammit, Dave, you nearly gave me a heart attack! And I nearly gave you a third eye," Tom groused as he carefully lowered the hammer and reholstered his pistol. He turned to see that Sarah had done the same.

"My fault, man, one hundred percent," Dave apologized as he and Rosa walked up to the porch steps, both having holstered their pistols. "I haven't done tactical movement on the ground for a long time. I should have told you on the radio that we were coming back around." In the nervousness of the moment, all four had forgotten their FRS radios.

"Same here, man, the last tactical movement I did was to grab the last apple fritter in the faculty break room before someone else did," Tom confessed. "How are things out back?"

"Everything looks fine," Rosa said, as she walked over near Sarah. "Sky looked a bit off to me, but that could be just normal weather, y'know." It was a gray and overcast day, both in the sky and in their hearts.

"Well," Dave remarked, hiking up his web belt, “now that we almost killed each other, let's walk over to the Garners' place and see how they’re doing."

“And see if I make it out unharmed this time,” Tom added. All four laughed and walked towards the gate.

When the foursome reached the gate, they saw Jerry Garner coming around the corner pushing a wheelbarrow half-full of sandbags, with a shotgun resting on top. He looked up as he reached the basement window and waved them over.

“Morning Dave, Rosa,” Jerry said. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that Tom?”

“Morning, Jerry,” Dave replied. “You are correct – Tom you remember, and this is his wife, Sarah. They made it in early this morning, about the same as the Russians and/or the Chinese did.”

“Nice to meet you, Sarah. Glad you and Tom made it here. You still out by Edwards, Tom?”

“We were, Jerry. We heard scuttlebutt around the base about the crisis and bugged out at noon Monday.”

Jerry whistled softly. “Boy, you sure cut that fine.” Tom nodded in agreement.

“How’re you and Patience doing, Jerry?” Rosa asked.

“Oh, well as can be expected, I guess. We got down to the basement shelter when Dave called, and spent what was left of the night down there. Things seemed okay out here, so I figured I’d better get the basement window sandbagged and put whatever I had left along the sides of the house, if I had time before the fallout.”

“Why don’t we lend you a hand, Jerry?” Dave asked. “Three sets of hands are faster the one. Rosa and Sarah can go inside and talk to Patience.”

“I’d appreciate that, boys. Never turn down an offer of good help. I’ll even put the shotgun away for you, Tom.”

“What an offer, Jerry!” Everyone laughed. Rosa and Sarah went inside, while Tom and Dave started stacking sandbags under Jerry’s eagle eye.

After an hour’s work, the sandbags were in place along the exposed portion of the basement wall on both sides of the house, and the men headed inside to take a break. Patience had coffee and sweet rolls ready for the men.

“What happened, Dave? We heard the new President’s speech, but how did it come to this?” Patience asked.

“A game of nuclear chicken, I guess,” Dave replied. “This time, nobody let up on the gas or swerved. Head-on collision. Pretty rough on us passengers.”

Jerry shook his head. "I'll say. Patience and I got woken up by your call, and then the EAS message came over the radio. We headed straight for the basement shelter and had just gotten inside when we heard the bombs going off. Three or four, off to the east and southeast. He paused and asked quietly, "Your boy is out that way, isn't he?"

Dave nodded his head. "At Alpha-1, this side of Albin. His shift began yesterday morning. He and Chuck – you met him at Thanksgiving dinner – got recalled the next day." Both Jerry and Patience grimaced. “He called us, and I called you right after the call disconnected. We haven't heard from him since."

Patience spoke up. "Bruce is a good boy. We'll both say a prayer for him tonight. Let us know when you hear something, will you?."

"Will do, Patience," Rosa said. "Are you folks set up okay here for shelter and whatnot?"

Jerry smiled. "Not quite like the General was, but we're okay. Got a good shelter in the far corner of the basement, plenty of water and food. Patience stores all her canned stuff down there anyway. We getting any fallout yet, Dave?"

It was Dave's turned to smile. "No offense, Jerry, but we wouldn't be sitting here having coffee and muffins – excellent, by the way, Patience - if this meter were making any noise.”

“Anything else we should be doing, Dave? Patience has got everything moved to the basement, and with your help, I’ve got the window and exposed basement wall blocked.”

Dave shook his head. "Sounds like you're as ready as can be. But you’re both welcome in our shelter if you’d like. We’ve got plenty of room over there.”

Jerry thought for a moment and then glanced over at Patience, who smiled and nodded. “We appreciate that, Dave, we really do – but I think we’ll stay here for the moment.”

Dave and the others rose, as did Patience and Jerry. “Well, you’re always welcome, but if the fallout gets too heavy, it won’t be safe for you to leave the basement and come over.”

Jerry nodded and then snapped his fingers. "Say, why don't you folks take some of Patience's canned stuff back with you? If we end up coming over, it'll save some time if you take it now."

Before any of the Schmidts could utter a word, both Jerry and Patience headed for the basement. "Well," Dave said as he turned towards the Garners' basement door, "we can't argue with them now, can we?"

"You can if you want to," Tom said, "but I won't."

[kaijafon]

Great new chapter! thanks so much....

...just a boo boo I spotted:

Dave pointed back towards the gate. "She's by the shed. Dave and Sarah are out there as well. Okay if they come up? We didn't want you to see a group of armed people coming up your driveway."

I think you mean "Tom and Sarah are out there as well." ?

Thanks again!

[brucearmstrong65]

Jun 23, 2016 18:59:19 GMT -6 kaijafon said:

Great new chapter! thanks so much....

...just a boo boo I spotted:

Dave pointed back towards the gate. "She's by the shed. Dave and Sarah are out there as well. Okay if they come up? We didn't want you to see a group of armed people coming up your driveway."

I think you mean "Tom and Sarah are out there as well." ?

Thanks again!

Thank you - that's exactly what I meant. Now if Microsoft would only come out with a version of Word that could read my mind instead of what I typed!

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 17

Tuesday, November 27th – 1100 hours

In Jerry's mind, "some" of Patience's canned foods meant a full case for each person to carry over. Jerry and Patience stood on the porch and waved as Dave & the others headed back through the gate and home. Once inside, they looked inside the cases in amazement.

"Look at this," Rosa exclaimed. "Meats, poultry, all kinds of preserves – I knew Patience canned, but wow!"

Sarah held up one jar. "Rosa, am I seeing things or does that jar say ... squirrel?" She looked slightly green at the prospect.

Rosa, Dave and Tom all looked at the label and agreed that it did indeed say squirrel. "As I recall, the Garners came out here decades ago from Tennessee and lived a pretty hardscrabble life for a time. Maybe old habits never die – and that could be a good thing in these new days."

Even Sarah nodded her head in the affirmative. "I guess we're all going to have to get used to things being different for a long time. Might take me that long to get used to eating squirrel. What does squirrel taste like, anyway? And don't tell me it tastes like chicken!" she smiled.

Tom spoke up. "They taste like peanut butter, I've heard. It's all those nuts they eat."

The four adults roared with laughter, even with all the trauma they had been through the last few hours.

"Well, enough of the comedy hour," said Dave. "Let’s get these cases down to the Hole. Then I think we can all relax for a while."

Dave locked the front door and re-secured the basement door and then followed the others into the shelter, locking the two blast doors behind him. And taking the food into the storage area closest to the kitchen.

"I've got to get on the laptop soon and get all these inventory records updated. The food storage list looks like a bunch of chicken scratch marks," Dave remarked. "Maybe I'll just have a sandwich while I'm working at the comms desk."

"You will do no such thing, Dave Schmidt," Rosa remarked. "It may be TEOTWAWKI, but we will eat at the kitchen table together like human beings. C'mon, Sarah, let's get something together for these bums. Squirrel souffle, maybe?"

"I think Peanut Butter and Squirrel sandwiches, Rosa. Or is that too nutty?" The women cackled as they went back to the kitchen.

Tom leaned over towards Dave and said, "Last name, man. Bad sign."

Dave smiled. "Nah, that's okay. When you hear my middle name, run."

Both men properly amused for the moment, they came back into the main shelter and sat down at the comms desk – Dave in the office chair at the desk, Tom on a folding chair on the other side of the desk.

Looking at the radio equipment, Dave remarked, "I think we can leave this stuff hooked up to the antenna. EMP won't be a problem now unless those knuckleheads decide to launch round two. We can keep in touch with Jerry and Patience over the CB.”

Tom and Dave spent some time talking about the comms setup and establishing a schedule for the radio watch. It was nearly noon when Rosa called out from the kitchen, "Lunch is just about ready, boys."

"Be right there, hon," Dave replied. "I want to check the local radio stations at high noon, see if anybody's on the air yet."

Dave had planned to work down a list of radio stations throughout southwestern Wyoming, but his pay dirt at his first try. At the stroke of noon, a voice came on the AM radio.

"This is station KOWB broadcasting on a frequency of 1290 kilohertz from Laramie, Wyoming. Circumstances permitting, we will broadcast four times at day, at 9 AM, noon, 3 PM and 6 PM for 10 minutes at a time. We will also come on the air for any EAS alerts.

"At approximately 5 AM local time, America was struck by a nuclear attack from Russia and China. The President and his staff were killed in the strike on Washington. The new president, formerly the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, addressed the nation three hours ago with details of the attack and the events preceding it.

"At least two weapons, possibly a third, detonated at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, destroying both the base and the greater Cheyenne area. Additional explosions were detected to the east and southeast.

"The governor and virtually all of the state government were killed when Cheyenne, the state capitol, was destroyed. The lieutenant governor was at his home in Laramie and was sworn in by his son, a county judge.

"The new governor issued three emergency declarations: First, Laramie will be the temporary state capitol. Second, a state of emergency exists as from 5 AM this morning throughout the state of Wyoming. Third, approximately 2,300 square miles of southeastern Wyoming is declared a contaminated zone. Civilian travel in this area is prohibited. The borders of the contaminated zone are as follows: From the tri-state area north along the Nebraska state line to State Highway 151. From State Highway 151 west to Interstate 25. South on Interstate 25 to the County Road 228 exit. West on a line from Interstate 25 to Horse Creek. South to the Colorado state line. Finally, east to the tri-state area.

"If you are in this area, remain in your shelter until told by your local authorities or this radio station that it is safe to leave. Clearance points will be designated along the perimeter of this area to process persons wishing to leave.

"If you are outside this area, please do not attempt to enter. Any persons attempting to enter this area are subject to arrest and indefinite detention.

"At this time, we have no indications of radioactive contamination anywhere else in the state. Should this situation change, you will be notified via an EAS alert.

"We are signing off the air at this time to conserve fuel. We will be back on the air at 3 PM with news and emergency information. This is station KOWB, broadcasting on 1290 kilohertz from Laramie, Wyoming, signing off until 3 PM."

The radio went silent, as the four people in the room. Finally, Dave spoke up: "Well, it's about what we thought. Warren gone and with it Cheyenne. No fallout here, at least yet. Let's have lunch and then I'll give Jerry a call on the CB."

To say the least, the meal was a somber affair.

[papaof2]

"station KOWB, broadcasting on 1290 megahertz"
I think that's a local AM station, so the frequency is 1290 kilohertz.

I'll nit-pick technical accuracy at times, but it should be obvious that I'm hooked on the story ;-)

[brucearmstrong65]

Jun 23, 2016 22:00:33 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

"station KOWB, broadcasting on 1290 megahertz"
I think that's a local AM station, so the frequency is 1290 kilohertz.

I'll nit-pick technical accuracy at times, but it should be obvious that I'm hooked on the story ;-)

You are spot on, my friend. I just made the corrections on Chapter 17 and I'm going to scan back the last couple, to see if I made the same mistake. Thanks for the help!

[kaijafon]

ok, first, thank for the moar and serving it so fast!!!

second, can you clarify something for me, just where were the boys in relation to the actual base?

when reading, I get conflicting thoughts, like they are ON base but then I was thinking they were off base somewhere deep?

Thanks!

[brucearmstrong65]

Jun 24, 2016 4:57:35 GMT -6 kaijafon said:

ok, first, thank for the moar and serving it so fast!!!

second, can you clarify something for me, just where were the boys in relation to the actual base?

when reading, I get conflicting thoughts, like they are ON base but then I was thinking they were off base somewhere deep?

Thanks!

Bruce and Chuck's squadron (319th Missile) was headquartered at F.E. Warren AFB, about 60 miles east of Centennial & the Schmidt residence.

On the day of the attack, they were physically located in the underground Launch Control Center at the Alpha-1 Missile Alert Facility, which is located about 40 miles northeast of the air force base, near (relatively speaking) the town of Albin, Wyoming.

Does that help? (Or did I muddy things up even more?)

[freebirde]

The amount of fallout will depend on if the blast was air burst, surface strike, or penetrating. Air burst will have little or no fallout and will be destructive over the widest area, targets such as airfields and transportation hubs. Penetration will have the most fallout, but the smallest area of destruction. I have heard speculation of a conventional 'bunker buster' warhead followed by the nuke for more penetration. It would be classified and I do not know of mixed warheads being deployed, but they could be used at special targets. The only mixed that would not be effective would be bio and nuke mix, the nuke would kill the bio.

[kaijafon]

Jun 24, 2016 6:20:16 GMT -6 brucearmstrong65 said:

Jun 24, 2016 4:57:35 GMT -6 kaijafon said:

ok, first, thank for the moar and serving it so fast!!!

second, can you clarify something for me, just where were the boys in relation to the actual base?

when reading, I get conflicting thoughts, like they are ON base but then I was thinking they were off base somewhere deep?

Thanks!

Bruce and Chuck's squadron (319th Missile) was headquartered at F.E. Warren AFB, about 60 miles east of Centennial & the Schmidt residence.

On the day of the attack, they were physically located in the underground Launch Control Center at the Alpha-1 Missile Alert Facility, which is located about 40 miles northeast of the air force base, near (relatively speaking) the town of Albin, Wyoming.

Does that help? (Or did I muddy things up even more?)

Yes that helped a LOT!!! thanks for clarifying for me.

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 18

Late afternoon, Tuesday, November 27th

The Hole had quieted down considerably after the noon broadcast from KOWB. After lunch, the wives went to lay down in the bedrooms. Dave was sitting at the radio desk, updating the various supply inventory lists on his laptop. Tom was stretched out in an easy chair, reading a binder Dave had given him dealing with fallout and radiation.

"This calculating the radiation decay seems easy enough, even though math was never my strongest subject," Tom said as he closed the binder.

"It's even easier than doing it the manual way, Tom. I've got a spreadsheet from a guy out in California that will do all the math for us. We just have to enter in the radiation readings, if we get any, and voila! It'll tell us when it's safe – or at least safer - to go outside."

Dave stood up and closed the laptop. "Okay, inventory is updated and saved. I’ll print the pages out and update the binders later.” He unplugged the laptop and put it away in a desk drawer. "No sense leaving it plugged in if we get a power surge or EMP or whatever."

The 3 PM broadcast from KOWB in Laramie had just been a rehash of the noon broadcast. Dave had talked with Jerry via CB radio just afterward.

"Looks like we may get by without a long time down below, " Jerry said.

"Don't jinx things, Jerry. Just be happy if it works out that way. I’ll call you after the 6 PM broadcast if there’s anything new, okay? I’m out.”

Dave put the handset down and stretched out (as much as he could) in the desk chair, intending to rest his eyes for a few minutes.

An hour later, Dave awoke to a clanging noise from the kitchen. He saw Tom picking up a pan lid from the floor while Rosa and Sarah watched with amusement. Dave rubbed his eyes and said, "Man, that felt good. What time is it?"

Rosa answered, "About quarter to six, sleepyhead. You're just in time to help Dave with dinner. By the looks of things, he needs it. Better grab the fire extinguisher while you're up."

Ten minutes later, Tom announced, "Dinner is ready. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sit down and enjoy."

Surprise showed on everyone's faces as a steaming bowl of beef stroganoff on noodles was placed before them. Dave said grace, served everyone else, then himself, and they all dug in.

The 6 PM broadcast from KOWB came on while they were eating. It contained the same information as the earlier two with an important difference: the last item.

"We have just received an EAS advisory bulletin that the President will address the nation at noon local time tomorrow. I repeat: the President will address the nation at noon local time tomorrow. KOWB will carry the President's broadcast as part of the Emergency Alert System Network. This is KOWB, signing off until 9 AM tomorrow morning. Good night and God bless."

Dave stood up, walked over to the desk and turned the radio off. "Well, that's something to look forward to, I guess. Some hard information would be nice, for whatever good it'll do us. Say, Tom, that was some good cooking tonight. How'd that happen?" Everyone laughed.

Tom shrugged. "Two packets, add water and bring to a boil. And since I slaved over a hot stove for several minutes, you get to do this huge stack of dishes," gesturing to four plates, a now-empty serving bowl, and the silverware.

"I've love to, Tom, really, I would. But I told Jerry I'd give him a call on the CB after the news." Dave practically ran for the CB radio, trying and failing to hide the smile on his face.

Tom shook his head, mumbled something that sounded like "Older brothers," and carried the dishes to the sink, where he rinsed them and ran some dish water. As he finished, Dave signed off the radio with Jerry and came over to dry the dishes as Tom washed.

Tom asked, as he handed Dave a plate, "Anything new with Jerry?"

Dave wiped the plate down and put it in the cupboard in front of him. "Nothing much. He and Patience are going to sleep in their shelter tonight, just in case some measurable fallout blows in from the west. They've got a NOAA radio down there – they keep a spare in the basement in case of tornadoes. Let's keep one of the NOAA radios in each bedroom tonight. That'll wake us up if anything happens. We can worry about a proper radio watch tomorrow, after a good night's sleep."

Tom nodded agreement as he drained and rinsed out the sink. "I am beat but good. I'm headed for bed right now. Give me a shout if anything happens.”

"Will do, Tom. It's good having you under the same roof again. Even under these circumstances. Especially under the circumstances."

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 19

Wednesday, November 28th – morning

Both couples slept in late and didn't get moving until almost 8 AM. Dave was up first, and once his morning ablutions were taken care of and the coffee pot turned on, did a walkaround through the shelter, checking the various systems for any problems.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, the others were in various stages of waking up and getting ready for their first full day in the New World.

The remote survey meter registered no fallout radiation. The radios were quiet; the 9 AM broadcast on KOWB brought a reminder of the President's speech at noon, but no new information on fallout or conditions outside of Wyoming.

After breakfast, Dave and Tom pulled on their winter gear, clipped on dosimeters, and adjusted their web belts and holsters, then headed upstairs.

The two men did a quick walk-around inside the house and found nothing out of the ordinary. Dave’s survey meter showed zero all the way around. Dave opened the shutters covering the front door and the two men went outside. The air was cold and crisp and surprisingly clean to Dave – I was expecting smoke or a dark nuclear winter day or something, he thought.

Despite the cold, Jerry Garner was sitting on his front porch, smoking a pipe. He waved the two men over. "How's everything in The Hole this morning?"

"Fine, Jerry," Dave replied. "You and Patience okay?"

Jerry snorted. "It'll make more than some damn fool war to hurt us. After an hour on cots in the basement shelter, we both went back up to our bedroom. I had the NOAA radio on all night so we'd get some warning if there was fallout. We damn near slept the morning away – didn't get up until 6:30."

Tom smiled "Getting lazy in your old age, Mr. G – sorry, Jerry."

"Ain't that the truth!" Jerry agreed as all three men chuckled. "Any guess what the President will say at noon?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if a cease-fire has been worked out, or if one just happened,” Dave remarked, getting a confused look from Tom and Jerry. “On my last tour of duty at SAC HQ in Omaha, some of us thought a nuclear war would last no more than one round of exchanges. After that, communications would be down and most of the generals and politicians in Moscow and Washington would be dead, so much so that a second nuclear exchange couldn’t be authorized or carried out. Voila, a cease-fire, albeit an unofficial one.”

Dave shrugged. "Whether that happened or not is anyone's guess. I'm just trying to G-2 a war with no communications or intelligence. Hopefully the President will have some news at noon. Speaking of which, why don't you and Patience come over for lunch, say about 11:30? We can listen to the speech together afterwards."

Jerry nodded and said, "That sounds like a plan. Be good to get out of the house for a while, even if it's just a walk next door." He looked up at the sky. "Clear now, but I think we're in for some snow before nightfall. We gonna have any problem with radioactive snow, Dave?"

Dave shook his head. "Don't think so. In fact, rain and snow might clean the air somewhat. Of course, it'll concentrate fallout on the ground in some places, but if we haven't gotten any fallout by the time it starts, we'll be okay."

Jerry stretched and looked around. "Good enough. Well, I've got plenty to do before we come over for lunch, so I'll take you're leave now, boys Y'all take care."

"Okay Jerry, we’ll see you later,” replied Tom, and the men parted.

Later that day – 1155 hours

The three couples sat around the kitchen table down in the Hole after a warming lunch of soup and sandwiches, followed by coffee and a homemade peach cobbler Patience had whipped up when Jerry told her of the invitation.

Dave turned the radio on and the three couples waited for the EAS signal to sound, which is did, promptly at noon.

"This is the Emergency Alert System. Please stand by. The next voice you hear will be that of the President of the United States." After a short pause, they heard the President's voice

"My fellow Americans, I wanted to update you on the terrible events of yesterday.

“First, and most importantly, I am pleased to announce that the Chinese and Russian governments have agreed to a cease-fire, which took effect at 9 AM Eastern time this morning. All air, sea and land forces will return to their home territory as soon as is practical, given local conditions.

“Conventional combat continues between Allied forces and invading North Korean forces south of the 38th parallel. Both China and Russia have pledged to take no further part in this conflict and to do everything in their power to restrain North Korean forces. At this time, we have no communication with the North Korean government.

“Second, I am prepared to provide more detailed information on the attack which struck us at approximately 7 AM Eastern time yesterday.

“Approximately 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched by Russia and China at the United States, the vast majority from Russia. Approximately one-third of these missiles failed to successfully launch or complete their boost phase, and their warheads were not delivered.

“Russia launched 64 submarine-launched ballistic missiles from two submarines, one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. Both of these submarines were subsequently destroyed by units of our Navy.

“Now to the targets of those weapons. Multiple warheads targeted our nation’s capital, as well as command-and-control facilities in Nebraska, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia. Air force bases were struck in Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington state and California.

“Several cities were destroyed, many due to their proximity to strategic targets. The following cities were struck by at least one nuclear warhead:

“In the east: Washington. New York City. Philadelphia. Boston. Baltimore. Annapolis.

“In the south: Norfolk. Charleston. Orlando. Atlanta. Shreveport. Dallas-Forth Worth.

“In the midwest: Kansas City. Omaha. Oklahoma City.

“In the west: San Diego. Los Angeles. San Francisco. Seattle. Cheyenne. Denver. Colorado Springs. Honolulu.

“Now to the damage suffered by Russia and China: Our late President ordered our entire fleet of 450 single-warhead ICBMs fired at Russia and China, targeting every known Russian and Chinese facility connected to the creation, deployment, and command-and-control of the nuclear arsenals. In addition, every major political and military administrative center was struck. This includes the capital cities of Beijing and Moscow.

“Targets in North Korea were struck by SLBMs launched from submarines in the Pacific.

“Preliminary analysis of satellite imagery indicates these strikes had an effective rate of greater than 90 percent. This nation owes its deepest thanks to the Navy and Air Force units which so ably performed their assigned missions. I believe it was this overwhelming performance that was in great part responsible for the decision by surviving Russian and Chinese leadership to accept a cease-fire.

“I will not attempt to hide from you the gravity of the situation that faces us now. Millions of our fellow Americans have been killed. Millions more have been seriously injured, and still more left without housing or means of sustenance. Many of our great population and industrial centers lie in ruins. Millions cry out for help.

“In an attempt to ameliorate this desperate need, I am ordering the formation of the Federal Reconstruction Corps, under the primary control of the Army Corps of Engineers, to assist in recovery, relief, and reconstruction efforts.

“At a date to be determined, I will order the Selective Service System to induct into federal service all persons between the ages of 18 and 25, to serve in either the Armed Forces or the Federal Reconstruction Corps.

“I would like, for a moment, to speak directly to the veterans of this great nation. It will be critical for this mass of untrained young people to have experienced leadership at all levels from their first day on active duty.

“I am therefore asking all former military personnel, particularly our retired men and women of senior rank and long years of service, to volunteer once again to come to the aid of their fellow countrymen.

“If you are in good physical condition and willing to serve, please report to your nearest operating military facility when it is safe to do so. Bring your DD-214 and other military paperwork with you. Following a basic physical and background check, you will be sworn in for active duty, in most cases with your former branch of service and at your highest rank.

“In closing, I would like to echo the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who, more than seventy years ago, offered a prayer to the nation as our forces were landings in France. Please join me in prayer.

“Almighty God, we set out this day on a mighty endeavor, a struggle to rebuild our Republic, our civilization, and a struggling humanity. The road back from this nightmare will be long and hard. We will be sore tried, night and day. The darkness has been rent by noise and flame. Our souls have been shaken with the violence of war.

“Pray that our hearts will be stout, to wait out the long travail, and to bear the sorrows that may come. We will need your blessings.

“O Lord, give us faith. Faith in Thee, faith in our sons and daughters, faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Thy will be done. Amen.”

As with the earlier address, the radios were silent for a few seconds, then the announcer's voice came back on. "This Presidential address will be rebroadcast at 5 PM and 8 PM Eastern time today. This is the national Emergency Alert System."

The stillness was broken only by Dave turning off the radio. Rosa leaned into him and he wrapped an arm around her. Knowing that both Dave and Tom were Air Force veterans, Patience had a hunch that some serious conversation would follow, and that neither she nor Jerry needed to be a part of it. She nudged Jerry with her toe and made a slight motion with her head towards the door.

Jerry gave a slight nod in return and stood up. “Quite a speech, that. Lot to think about. Patience, I think it’s time we headed back. Lot of chores this afternoon, and livestock waits for no man. Thank you for the great food and great company. We’ll return the favor soon.” Patience stood up from the table and hugged Rosa and Sarah, murmuring her thanks, and following her husband to the blast door.

“We’ll walk you outside,” Dave said as he and Tom both rose. The four walked through the blast doors, up the basement stairs, and to the front door. Dave opened the shutters for the front door and unlocked it.

Jerry shook hands with both and said quietly, “God bless you boys. Patience and I will look after the ladies and the homestead if needs be.” Dave and Tom nodded, both too overcome with emotion to speak.

As she walked by, Patience cupped first Tom's face, then Dave's, with her hand for a few seconds and followed her husband out the door.

“I suspect they know what we’re going to decide,” Dave said quietly as he secured the door and closed the shutters.

“I think you’re right,” said Tom as the walked back towards The Hole. “The question is, do we?”

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 20

Wednesday, November 28th – late afternoon/early evening

The shelter was quiet for most of the afternoon. Dave busied himself inspecting the various systems in the shelter’s equipment area. Tom sat at the radio desk, reading one of Dave’s field manuals while keeping an eye on the survey meter, which had shown no radiation since Dave had connected it. The wives had cleaned up the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table, playing cards, or trying to. Everyone was thinking about the same thing, but nobody was talking about it. Yet.

Dave came back into the shelter from the Equipment area, smiled at the wives, and dropped down into an armchair near the comms desk.

“Anything going on up here, Tom?”

Tom sat the manual down and shook his head. “Everything’s been all quiet. Would you believe I started looking over my lesson plans for next week and realized, what’s the point? At least for now, that is.”

Dave made what could have been a smile or a grimace, depending on your point of view. “You might be back at Edwards sooner than anyone thought, particularly if you go back on active duty. If they didn’t get hit, Edwards will be an important base for the future.”

“I wanted to talk to you about that, Dave. I don’t think I’m going to volunteer. One of us needs to be here at home.”

“I think you’re right, Tom,” Dave agreed. “Your back injury in that training accident medicaled you out, and your back problems since will probably keep you out, even now. As for me” - Dave cut a quick glance at Rosa and Sarah - “I don’t see how I can’t go back. We’re probably pretty low on senior officers in the Air Force right now.”

“You’re right. I served almost six years in a job almost anyone could do.” Tom looked thoughtful for a moment. “But you, with thirty-plus years’ experience, you’d be invaluable. Probably get your first star as soon as you sign on the dotted line.”

Dave sighed. “Yeah, I imagine so. It would’ve been nice to get that star about eight years ago, and not because of a nuclear war.”

“Where will you go to rejoin? And when?”

Dave looked thoughtful. “I’ll check in with the Air Force recruiting office in Laramie next week, see if they’re open and if they’ve gotten any specific guidance from Air Force HQ yet, wherever that is. I’ll have my gear and papers with me, just in case they’re ready to take me right away. Even if they’re not ready, it’ll be a good chance to get the lay of the land, see how things are in our new state capitol.”

“I’d like to come with you,” Tom said, “and I think Rosa and Sarah would too.”

Dave nodded. “You couldn’t keep Rosa away even if you locked her in the shelter. She’d figure a way out and probably be waiting for us in Laramie."

“That’s a fact, Dave. I doubt Sarah will let me out of her sight if I go anywhere near an Air Force facility. But like you said, that’s likely a moot point.”

Dave leaned forward in his chair. “Frankly, I’m counting on you being here, to protect the family house and my wife. I know Jerry and Patience will do as much as they can but they’re both well up there in years and have plenty of work on their own place. You might be a bigger help working with them than starting our own farming operation around here.”

Tom laughed and stood up. “Never thought I’d be working the land. Farmer Tom, eh? The Schmidt brothers – Farmer Tom and General Dave. I think I could get used to that.”

“Don’t get too impressed by that General stuff. Could be I’ll end up scrubbing toilets in the New Pentagon or wherever the surviving four-stars are.” Dave stood up and stretched. “Let’s go get some coffee and see what’s doing in the kitchen. I suspect some serious conversation is going on over those cards.”

Dave’s hunch was spot on. Rosa and Sarah had been talking about the same subject as Dave and Tom.

“I don’t see how Dave can’t go, Sarah. I certainly won’t try to stop him,” Rosa said as she played a card. “What about Tom? What will you two do?”

Sarah played the last card in her hand. “He tore up his back in that helicopter crash during a training exercise, bad enough to get a medical retirement from the Air Force. He’s considered 30% disabled by the VA. I doubt the Air Force would take him back, even in its present depleted state.” She paused as Rosa counted her hand and adjusted the peg on the cribbage board, and then counted hand and discard pile and moved her peg. “At least you won’t skunk me!”

“But would you want him to go back?” Rosa questioned as she gathered up the cards, shuffled, cut, and dealt the hand.

“I honestly don’t know, Rosa. The country needs him, but so do I. Besides, everybody’s going to be working for recovery, whether in uniform or not.”

Dave and Tom walked over. Tom poured coffee for Dave and himself, offered a refill which the ladies declined, and sat down at the kitchen table. “So what have you ladies been discussing over cribbage?” Tom asked as he handed Dave his coffee.

“About the same thing you two have, if my hunch is correct,” responded Rosa. She played a card and turned her head to Dave. “When are you going to try to report?”

“Guess I don’t have much of a poker face, do I, hon?” Dave laughed and continued. “How does everyone feel about a trip to Laramie next week?”

Without a word, Rosa got up and walked through the kitchen door into the storage area. Oh crap, Dave thought, I just stepped into a big pile of trouble.

In a few seconds, Rosa came back through the door, carrying a zippered suit bag in one hand. She hooked the bag’s hanger onto the edge of a bookcase and unzipped it, revealing Dave’s dress uniform, the gleaming silver eagles of a full colonel on each shoulder, ribbons covering one side of the chest. She looked at the uniform and then at Dave and said with a smile, “When you were in the equipment area, I got this from upstairs. I learned to read your mind a long time ago, Colonel.”

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 21

Thursday, November 29th – 0830 hours

Dave cooked breakfast for everyone the following morning – a large Denver omelet, home fries, toast and coffee – which everyone demolished with great pleasure. His uniform, in its garment bag, hung where Rosa and placed it the previous evening. It didn’t quite put a damper on breakfast, but it was visible to all, just as Dave’s possible departure in three days was on everyone’s mind.

Tom finished washing the dishes and cleaning up the counter while Rosa and Sarah lounged at the kitchen table over the last of their coffee. Sarah said “That was great, Dave!”, sentiments which were echoed all around.

“Glad all of you enjoyed it,” Dave said, after taking a deep bow from the kitchen. “Because that’s the last of it, at least that good. That used up the last of our fresh eggs and bread. We’ll be on dehydrated stuff from now on, and we’ll have to make our own bread; there’s plenty of flour in storage.”

Rosa said, “Maybe I’ll get the bread machine fired up this morning if one of you strong men will bring it down here for me.”

Dave smiled and mockingly struck a flexing pose. “I’ve got a better idea. How about we move back up there?” The shelter fell silent, save for the generator, which was an almost inaudible hum.

“You sure that’s safe, Dave?,” Sarah asked. “What if there’s another attack? Or we get late fallout?”

“If there’s a problem of any kind, we can get right back down here. We’ll need to keep wearing our dosimeters and checking them regularly. I’ll move the survey meter to the hall table and run the wire directly to it, and I’ll keep the other meter with me whenever we’re outside. That should give us plenty of warning if there’s delayed fallout. I’ll bring the EAS radios up too.”

Tom agreed. “I’d love to get out of here and see the sky and smell fresh air again. But what do we do for power? Everything’s still out topside.”

Dave smiled. “You forgot about the second generator, bro. We can run both generators and have the shelter and upstairs going, or just one generator and shut down the shelter for now. All we have to is flip a couple of switches in the generator room and we’re good to go.”

Everyone agreed with the idea of moving upstairs and moved with a speed which Dave had not seen since that terrible morning three days earlier. Within a half hour, the four had their clothes and personal items moved topside. Rosa stripped the beds in the two shelter bedrooms, remade them, and went upstairs to put them in the laundry.

Dave asked Tom to give him a hand switching the water and power over. The two men walked downstairs, through the shelter, and into the equipment area. “I thought you said this was automatic, Dave, or just a couple of switches.”

“It is, Tom,” Dave replied. “A semi-trained monkey can do it – even a retired colonel. But I wanted you to know how to do it. If I’m not here and something happens, or something happens to me when I’m away, you’ll be head of the household. You have to know how to do everything I do and do it right the first time. Any screwups and it could be your and Sarah’s lives, as well as my wife. That’s not going to happen on my watch.”

Dave put a hand on Tom’s shoulder as they stopped at the generator room. “I’m sorry to drop it on you like a pile of bricks, but that’s the way it is. If I’m not here, for whatever reason, you’re responsible for everything – the house, our wives’ lives, even Jerry and Patience. You may not be going back into the Air Force come Monday, but you’ll be on duty just the same.”

“I won’t let you down, Dave, you know that. Now, show me what needs to be done down here,” Tom said quietly, as they stepped into the generator room.

Their work in the equipment area took less than five minutes. Everything in the shelter was off except the automatic battery lighting system that was activated when the blast doors were opened.

Dave and Tom went outsider – Tom to join Sarah who, wrapped up in a heavy jacket, was walking around the front yard, and Dave to take a couple of survey meter readings. As Jerry had predicted yesterday, they had a dusting of an inch or so of snow. Dave sampled several places from the front steps to the gate at the end of the driveway, and found zero readings. A quick check of his dosimeter confirmed zero. The sky looked gray and leaden but neither fallout nor snow were falling out of it for now.

Dave stepped on the pork, kicked a bit of snow and mud off his boots, and went inside, where he found Rosa putting the perishables away in the refrigerator, which, for the first time since early Tuesday morning, had its light on and was working to cool down the interior to its normal temperature.

“Haven’t you gotten this place straightened up yet?” Dave said in mock frustration as he stood in the kitchen doorway.

Rosa fixed a stern look at Dave, though the twinkle in her eye gave away her good mood. “Our stuff is put away. Your stuff, depending on your next words, may be out on the porch shortly.”

Dave took the half-serious hint and said, “Sorry, dear, You’re right as usual.”

Rosa responded with a smile. “See, Colonel? That wasn’t hard at all now, was it?” Rosa used to call him Colonel whenever he got a bit big for his britches, or flight suit, and Dave’s apparently impending return to active duty had brought new light to the old nickname.

The next surprise in a week full of shocks and surprises came when the telephone rang.

[ydderf]

I have no trust in government at any level starting with municipal and reaching right up to the federal government. In my experience they all are influenced and led by the vocal (in many cases) minority who try to force us all in to their images of the good citizen. I would be very leery of an after the apocalypse government. I can visualize many uncomfortable forms of control and forced servitude.

Thanks for the great story.

Fred

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 22

Thursday, November 29th – 0930 hours

Dave and Rosa stared at the phone in shock. The front door slammed open and Tom and Sarah came to a skidding stop in the kitchen doorway. “Was that the … yeah, guess it was,” said Sarah, as the phone continued to ring.

“Well, one of us had better answer it,” Dave said as he stepped forward and picked up the receiver and said “Schmidt residence, this is Dave.”

“I know it’s you, Dave!” Jerry’s voice boomed out of the handset, or seemed to boom after no phone calls for a couple of days. “I wanted to let you know the phone system was back up, so I called you.”

“When did the phones come back up?” Dave asked, still in shock.

“Not sure exactly. Patience was cleaning in the living room and accidentally knocked the phone off the side table. When she picked it back up, she heard a dial tone and told me. I dialed the Albany County dispatcher’s office in Laramie and they confirmed the phones were coming back up, at least locally. Figured you’d want to know.”

“Glad to hear it, Jerry. Glad to hear you, too! Did the County dispatcher have any news?”

“That she did, Dave,” Jerry replied. “Said Carbon County was clear of fallout and they had limited power from Foote Creek IV, that big wind power place out toward Rawlings.”

“Well, hot damn! Any clue if we’re going to get power soon?” Dave asked, and saw eyes light up around the room at the question.

“That’ll take a while, she said. They’re going to have to essentially create their own localized grid, carved out of the main system. If that works, we could have regular power before the worst of winter sets in. That’d sure be nice, wouldn’t it?” Jerry asked.

“That it would, Jerry, that it would indeed,” Dave affirmed. Look, while I’ve got you on the line, we’re moving out of The Hole and back into the house proper. I’ve got power from that big generator and water from our pump. If you and Patience want a hot shower, or to do laundry or anything, the door is always open.”

“We appreciate that, Dave. I imagine Patience will be over there about five minutes after I tell her, with a basket of laundry in one arm and, knowing her, a coffee cake in the other. I’ll talk to you in a while, Dave. Take care.”

“You too, old man,” Dave said with a smile, hanging up after he heard the laugh on the other end.

Dave turned to the expectant faces. “That was Jerry,” Dave said, stating the obvious. “Local phone service is back up. County dispatcher said no fallout here or in Carbon County, which, by the way, is getting Foote Creek IV back up. We could have regular grid power before Christmas.”

By the noise in the Schmidt house, one would have thought the Cowboys had won the Super Bowl.

An hour later

After a couple days of shelter living, everyone wanted some personal space of their own for a while. Rosa was in the kitchen, restoring her sense of order to the jumble of things they had brought back up from the shelter. Dave thought everything looked fine, but he knew better than to say so.

Sarah was stretched out on one of the living room sofas, a blanked wrapped around her, with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. She smiled as Dave walked by the doorway and quickly went back o her book.

Tom was doing maintenance on the Suburban. He and Sarah had put some hard driving on the frenzied run out from California, and while the Suburban was an older model, Tom took care of it like it was fresh off the showroom floor. Old Suburbans are excellent prepping vehicles – no electronics and easy to maintain, Dave thought as he stood in the doorway to the garage, watching Tom work. Guess Tom really did listen well. He walked over and started to help Tom under the hood.

“Hand me that screwdriver, would you, Dave? I want to tighten these clamps down. Hand-tight isn’t enough with these.” Dave handed him the requested tool and said, “A nuclear war and we’ve got phone service, at least a bit of it. And electricity – grid electricity – within a month. I don’t know that I expected it to come back on until spring.”

“Me either, Dave,” Tom agreed, tossing the screwdriver back into the toolbox tray. “All done here except for an oil change. Would you believe I forgot to bring oil?”

Dave grimaced. “Not really, Tom, because I don’t have any extra on hand, either. Maybe we should take a drive into Centennial, see what’s what and if we can get a couple cases of oil. At least enough for a full change on your SUV and my pickup. I’ll see if Rosa needs anything besides eggs, milk and bread. I’m guessing all that will be in short supply.”

Tom closed the hood on the Suburban and put away all the tools he used and threw what debris there was into a garbage can. He washed up at the garage sink and followed Dave into the house.

Dave paused as he was walking into the den. “Rosa’s list was simple enough. Bread, eggs, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables if there are any. Extra yeast and flour too – she’s going to bake bread in the bread machine and the oven if need be. I’ve got to grab a couple things from in here, let me show you.”

Dave flipped on the light and walked over to a cabinet in the corner. Opening it with a key, Dave revealed a safe within the cabinet. A quick twisting of the dial and the safe was open. Dave brought out a bank bundle of $100 bills and counted off  a thousand dollars. "We don't what's going to be available or how much it'll cost, so we better be ready. Once I’ve locked up here, let’s get our sidearms and head to town.”

Tom nodded. “The wives coming with us?”

“I’d prefer they didn’t, at least not until we’ve made one trip in and see how things are holding up,” Dave said as they picked up their sidearms and shoulder rigs from a locked drawer in the kitchen. “I suspect Rosa, and probably Sarah, will have different ideas on that subject.”

“Let’s take the Suburban then, Dave. I wouldn’t mind some gas if anybody’s selling at less than $20 a gallon.”

“What are you at now?” Dave asked.

“Right at half a tank,” Tom replied. “I never had a chance to gas up in Centennial, for obvious reasons.”

Both Dave and Tom were in for a surprise. Neither of the wives wanted to go with them. Rosa had a loaf of white bread going in the bread machine, and she was getting a sourdough starter going to make sourdough bread. Sarah didn’t exactly say she didn’t want to go, but her loud and contented snore was as good as an answer.

“Okay, hon, we’re taking my truck into town. I’m going to swing by next door and see if Jerry and Patience want anything. Barring complications, we’ll be back in two hours, probably less. If anything delays us, we’ll call. Anything special you want us to bring back?”

Rosa glanced up from her work. “You two in good health. Anything else is just frosting on the cupcake.”

Dave and Tom drove over to talk to Jerry, who was adjusting the sandbags around the basement window, saw them, and came out to the driveway.

Dave leaned over to see Jerry and spoke. “We’re heading into town, Jerry. You and Patience need or want anything?”

Jerry thought for a moment and said, “Probably the same things you folks are going for. Anything fresh would be nice, especially bread. The milking schedule got screwed up the last few days, and the girls are none too pleased. Be a few days before we get normal production out of ‘em. Kerosene would be nice, too. We’ve got several lamps and plenty of wicks, but I’m down to about a gallon, can you believe that? I got lazy getting my cans refilled, and then Tuesday screwed everything up. Let me give you some cash...”

Dave held up his hand. “We’re fine on that front, Jerry. Wait and see what we’re able to bring you first. Anyway, call it an advance payment on services to be rendered when and if I’m gone.”

Jerry nodded and put away his wallet. “So you’re going back on duty, Dave?” Dave nodded. “What about you, Tom? You were Air Force too, if I recall.”

It was Tom’s turn to nod. “That I was, Jerry, six years. Hurt my back in a helicopter crash and got medically retired and a 30% VA rating. Don’t think I’ll be able to pass a physical. Besides, somebody’s got to hang around here and help Patience keep you in line,” he said with a smile.

“Getting mighty deep out here for this early in the day. Better put my waders on. Why don’t you bums get going and let a working man get back to work.” Jerry waved as the truck headed for his gate and turned in the direction of Centennial.

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 23

Thursday, November 29th – 1400 hours

At the wheel of his beloved old Ford pickup, Dave cruised slowly (at least, slower than he usually drove, which sometimes earned him the nickname “Rocketman” from Rosa) down their street and made a left onto Kelly Creek Road, taking he and Tom north and towards the center of town. There was little traffic on the road, though to be fair there never was a lot of traffic on Kelly Creek Road – one of the reasons the General bought land out here for his retirement home.

Centennial’s population for decades had held steady, between 250 and 300 people. The town barely measured ½ mile by ¼ mile in size, depended on how generous whoever did the measurement was. Everybody knows everybody’s business in Centennial, Dave thought, as he cut through the empty parking lot of the Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse, past the gas pumps, and stopped near the bar portion of the Friendly Store on 1st Street.

Dave and Tom got out of the truck and took a couple of steps towards Wyoming Highway 130, known in town as Snowy Range Road. From there, they could see everything in town.

After a minute of looking around, Dave spoke. “Everything looks normal. Almost too normal. The same cars and trucks in the same places. Nobody driving like a madman, no riots at the grocery store. C’mon, let’s go into the Friendly Store, see what’s what.”

The Friendly Store was its business name, but it was more than just a grocery store; it was a motel, cafe, bar, and two-pump gas station. It was also the nerve center of Centennial, except for Sunday mornings, when that honor went to the Community Church across the street.

As they turned back towards the Friendly Store, the front door opened and Sandy Friendly came outside. “Well, well, the Schmidt Brothers ride again!” Sandy said, smiling. “When did you get back into town, Tom?” she asked, as she held her arms out to him.

Tom gave her a big hug and stepped back as Dave did the same. Sandy was friendly, as the family name said, but not too friendly; she had known the Schmidt family for decades, and knew also that both men were married.

“Sarah and I pulled in about the same time the Russians did – too close for my liking, Sandy.”

“Well, glad you and Sarah are okay,” Sandy said. Turning to Dave, she asked, “Dave, how’re things out your way? Talked to Jerry & Patience since the world blew up?”

Dave nodded. “Jerry’s ornery as ever, and Patience has baked for us twice since the bombs hit.”

Sandy laughed. “Same old, same old.” Her smile faded. “Where’s Bruce?”

Dave’s face turned serious as well. “He was on missile alert duty when everything went to hell. Out towards Albin. We haven’t heard from him since.”

Sandy took a deep breath. Bruce had dated Sandy’s eldest daughter, Margi, since junior high. Bruce wanted to get married when they graduated high school, but doing so would’ve rendered him ineligible for the Air Force Academy. Instead, they got engaged the week before Bruce left for the Academy, and had remained so ever since. Sandy did not look forward to telling her daughter the news.

“Let’s go inside, boys. Too cold to be standing around out here, yappin’.” The three went inside the store.

“You two need anything or are you just here to drink my coffee and generally harass me?” Sandy said, smiling, as she directed them to one of the tables in the back where a couple of the morning coffee regulars were still hanging around. A chorus of greetings rose from the other table.

“Just wanted to check in, Sandy, maybe pick up a couple items depending on what you’ve got left,” Dave answered. “You know we got local phone service back this morning?” You could have heard the proverbial pin drop in the silence.

Sandy picked up the handset from the phone near the register and held it to her ear for a few seconds. She put it back down and with a big smile said, “He’s right, got a dial tone clear as day.”

“Jerry phoned us this morning when he found out. Damn near gave the four of us a heart attack when that thing rang for the first time,” Dave said with a laugh. The coffee guys laughed as well, as much in joy for the phones being back as for Dave’s scare.

“What’s all the commotion in here?” a voice from the other side of the store, hidden by shelves, called out. The voice was Sandy’s daughter, Margi, who ran the cafe part of the business.

Dave and Tom stood to face Margi, who stopped about three feet away and looked into Dave’s eyes. “Where’s Bruce?”

Dave stepped forward and put a hand on Margi’s shoulder. “I’ll give it to you straight, Margi. He was on alert duty out at the Alpha-1 facility, southwest of Albin. We got a call from him early Tuesday, giving us a heads up. We haven’t heard from him since.”

Margi stood silent for several seconds, unconsciously twisting her engagement ring around her finger. She managed a slight smile and said, with a catch in her voice, “Well, he’s not getting out of our engagement just because of a nuclear war.” She put her hand over Dave’s on her shoulder before almost whispering, “Call me as soon as you hear … anything more official, ok?”

“Of course, Margi,” Dave promised. “And no matter what happens, you’ll always be welcome out at our place. You too, Sandy. You’re both family, or near enough, marriage license and Academy regulations be damned.”

Margi hugged Dave and then headed back towards the cafe. It was a good things were quiet, because Margi’s mind was not on her job the rest of the morning.

Sandy asked the question that Dave had been dreading. “You think there’s any chance for Bruce?”

Dave nodded his head. “I do, and that’s not just wishful thinking. The Russian missiles and technology were shit – pardon the language, Sandy. They might not have gotten hit at all, and we could see or hear from Bruce anytime. Even if they got a near-miss, those Launch Control Centers are tough to destroy. He and Chuck, his deputy commander, might have to stay underground for a few more weeks.”

Sandy took a deep breath. “Well, that will be a Christmas wish to hope for. Now, what did you need from the store, boys?”

“Well, again depending on what you’ve got, we could use a couple loaves of bread, anything fresh you’ve got. Jerry asked for the same for him and Patience, plus some kerosene for his lamps. Oh, and Rosa wanted some yeast, if there’s any left.”

“Let’s see what we can do for you,” Sandy said, gesturing to the shelves. “We’re pretty low on fresh stuff – some potatoes and onions. The green stuff is all gone. We’re well stocked on yeast and flour – even now, nobody bakes. Don’t think it’s gotten through to folks that we won’t be getting a bakery truck in for a while. Or any other kind of delivery.”

Dave and Tom picked up three bags of potatoes, several jars of yeast and 50 pounds of flour. They left what milk, eggs and bread there were for others, having a good supply of dried items in storage and fresh milk and eggs from Jerry’s cows and chickens.

Sandy walked into the storeroom and came back carrying a five-gallon can of kerosene. “Tell Jerry this is the last full can I’ve got, but if you’ll bring in the empties, I can fill him up from a couple 55-gallon drums in the shed out back.”

She walked behind the counter and did some figuring with a pad and pencil. “How’s $80 sound for all this?”

Dave was surprised. “Is that all? You didn’t short yourself, did you?”

She double-checked her figures. “Nope, that’s right. The kerosene, yeast and flour took up most of that. I haven’t raised any prices since the attack. I’m going to parcel out what I’ve got for as long as I can, as fairly as I can, and if I don’t get a truckload in, I’ll close this side down until I do.” She half-laughed to herself. “About the only thing open in a week will be the bar, if things don’t change.”

Dave looked ashamed. “I brought a stack of money expecting prices to be jacked up. I’m sorry, Sandy, I should have known you wouldn’t do that.” He handed her a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change. Call it a deposit for more yeast and flour, when you get some in. Say, while we're here, any chance of getting gas?”

Sandy shook her head. "Not right now. I'm getting a generator hooked up first thing tomorrow. I'll give you a call when we're up and running."

Sandy and the two men picked up the groceries and walked out to the truck. “Take care, you two. Give my regards to Rosa and Sarah and the Garners, will you? And call about Bruce as soon as you hear?”

Dave promised, “You’ll be the first to know. Tom or Rosa will call you if I’m away.”

“Where are you going to be, Dave?” She paused. “Oh, the President’s speech. You’re going back in the Air Force, aren’t you?”

Dave nodded his head. “I’m going to check in at the recruiting office in Laramie on Monday. See if they need a run-down old colonel to lend a hand.”

The two men got in the truck. Sandy stopped by Dave’s window. “Be careful, Dave. Rosa needs you. So does Centennial.” Sandy paused, swallowed hard, and went on. “What should I do about Margi and Bruce? What can I say to her?”

Dave leaned in towards Sandy’s face in the truck window. “Confidentially, Sandy, if I were you, I’d start thinking about a Christmas wedding.”

Looking a bit confused, Sandy smiled, waved, and went back inside the Friendly Store. Dave backed out, cut back across the parking lot, and headed home down Kelly Creek Road.

After a mile or so, Tom spoke up. “Christmas wedding, Tom?”

“No thanks, I’m already married,” Dave replied.

“Very funny, big brother, But seriously, you think Bruce’ll be back by then?

Dave slowed and glanced over at Tom. “I can’t explain why, but I think he will. I suspect our Christmas dinner will also be a wedding feast.”

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 24

Sunday, December 2nd – in the evening

Friday and the weekend passed quietly for the two Schmidt families. Dave spent a great deal of time with Tom going over the different features of the house and shelter that they hadn’t gone through while they were down below. Dave tried calling the Air Force recruiting station in Laramie, but local calls were hit-and-miss, and Dave was unable to reach anyone.

Tom was able to get the Suburban filled up with gas Friday afternoon after getting the promised call from Sandy. She had gotten a gas delivery the day before the attack, and her tanks were almost full. As with the groceries, she kept gas at the regular price but was only filling up one vehicle per family, and one extra jerry can per vehicle.

Jerry and five empty kerosene cans rode along with Tom to the Friendly Store. Once the Suburban had filled up, they pulled around back to the Friendly Store’s storage shed where Sandy filled up the cans. Dave returned to the house with an invitation for dinner at the Garner’s the next day after church.

In order to save gas, the Schmidts and Garners rode together in Tom’s Suburban to the community church, diagonally across the street from the Friendly Store. The church was more crowded than Dave and Rosa had ever seen it. Word must have gotten around about Dave’s likely return to the service, because the pastor mentioned it from the pulpit and, to Dave’s embarrassment, the townspeople applauded. Two other men – both retired master sergeants – approached Dave after church and asked about riding in with him to Laramie the following day.

Patience served up a classic after-church early dinner of southern-fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and peach cobbler for dessert, and all proclaimed themselves well and truly pleased.

As evening closed in, Tom and Sarah made their excuses and went to bed early, leaving Dave and Rosa snuggled in front of the living room fireplace. This was, potentially, their last day together for who knew how long, and Rosa didn’t intend to waste it playing cards or watching a DVD.

They were staring at the fire when Rosa spoke quietly. “When’s the last time we had a night like this?”

“You mean snuggling in front of a fire?” Dave pulled her closer.

Rosa smiled. “Easy there, tiger. No, I meant our last night together before you went off to a new duty station.”

Dave thought. “Had to be my last duty in Germany, the Ramstein expansion back in 2003. When I got home in 2006, I split my time between Omaha, the Academy and here until I retired.”

“That was the only overseas duty the boys and I didn’t go with you on. Bruce was a senior in high school, already had an early appointment to the Academy the following year, plus the house, so we decided I’d stay behind,” Rosa remembered.

“I spent my 30-day leave here three years running. Thirty days of ‘honey-dew’ lists – I think I got more rest when I went back on duty,” Dave joshed.

“You exaggerate, Dave. There’s hardly anything in this house I can’t fix as well – well, nearly as well – as you. One of the requirements of being an Air Force wife – you learn to make the best of any situation.”

“You never were a complainer, Rosa. I saw a lot of Air Force marriages break up because the wife couldn’t adapt to a new duty assignment. Their husbands usually developed a roving eye, and that always made things worse. Never could stand guys like that,” Dave recalled.

“I’ll say you couldn’t. You testified in that court-martial when you were stationed in Louisiana, at Barksdale.”

“Yeah, that master sergeant was spending more time chasing other men’s wives than working on bombers,” Dave remembered. “Then he tried to sell secrets to the Russians because he couldn’t afford a string of girlfriends on his Air Force pay. Cost him his retirement pay and a long stretch in Leavenworth. Still there now, for all I know.”

“Enough about that loser. Let’s talk about you. What do you think will happen tomorrow? Where’ll the Air Force put you?” Rosa asked as she settled her head back on Dave’s shoulder.

“I’ve been thinking about that since the President’s speech. If the reconstitution teams made it out of the STRATCOM bases before the balloon went up, like they were supposed to, there’ll be temporary bases set up at civilian airfields or even strips of highway in the middle of nowhere. I might be put in charge of one of these. Or it could be a desk job at whatever replacements for the Pentagon, Offutt or Cheyenne Mountain are in operation. I doubt overseas – too much work to do here at home.”

Rosa looked at Dave’s face and could tell he was in another world. He realized it too, and shook his head clear. “What matters now, my dear, is that we’re here. And we’re together.”

The fire died down. Dave and Rosa didn’t notice.

The following day, 0700 hours

Dave and Rosa were both up early. Dave showered and shaved and put on the uniform he hadn’t worn, except for a couple of Fourth of July and Veteran’s Day events, since his retirement ceremony five years before.

“Thank heavens I stayed in fighting trim,” Dave remarked as he buttoned the last button on his dress uniform. “Hate to have gone in there today looking like ten pounds of crap in a five-pound bag.”

“Oh nonsense,” Rosa exclaimed as she looked him over, picked a near-invisible piece of lint off one shoulder, and lightly brushed a cloth over both of his eagles, one on each shoulder. “You were never sloppy or lazy, even in retirement. Those shoes could use one more meeting with a rag, though.”

Dave laughed as he looked down. “Yeah, I was going to give them a quick buff right before I leave. With what snow and mud is still around, I’ll have overshoes on anyway.”

Dave took off the jacket and hung it back up. “No need to wrinkle it or spill something on it just now. I’ll leave the hat and overcoat up here as well until I’m ready to go. I’ll finish packing my bag and be down for breakfast shortly.”

He looks just as good as when he was a lieutenant, Rosa thought as she headed downstairs. Wonder how long before that eagle gets replaced with a star.

By the time Dave finished packing and running a cloth over his shoes again, Tom and Sarah were up and at the kitchen table. Dave put his single suitcase by the front door and hung his uniform jacket, overcoat, and cap on the coat rack, and came into the kitchen.

“How do you look the same as you did when you retired and we all got old?” Tom exclaimed.

“Clean living and purity of essence,” Dave intoned seriously, referring back to a line from the movie Dr. Strangelove, an Air Force favorite and one of both Dave’s & Tom’s as well.

“Purity?” Rosa snorted. “The things I could tell you about him...”

“Well, we don’t need to start another war just now, hon, one is quite enough for me,” Dave remarked as he poured a cup of coffee.

“Yes sir, Colonel sir!” Both Rosa and Tom exclaimed at nearly the same moment. Everyone laughed.

“It’s a good thing you outrank me, Rosa, or I’d have you court-martialed for that if it wasn’t so much paperwork,” Dave teased. “You, on the other hand,” pointing to Tom, “I might just have you recalled to active duty so I can court-martial you.”

“The paperwork, sir, remember?” Tom reminded him.

“Yeah, you’re right. Not worth the time or paper.”

The humor masked a tension that all of them felt. The world had changed a lot in a week. Who knew what the next weeks would bring?

Despite the tension, and in no small part because of Rosa’s extraordinary cooking, everyone ate heartily and lingered over coffee – laughing (and occasionally groaning) over shared memories and old jokes.

Finally Dave stood up and remarked, “Well, best to be going I think. No sense making the other guys wait. Tom, you still driving me?”

“Sure am, bro. I’m not going to let you dump the Suburban in Laramie after all the time and effort I put into keeping it running,” Tom remarked as he pulled on his winter jacket and gloves. “Besides, I want a word with one of those recruiters, see if my back will keep me out.”

Dave was surprised. “You still thinking about going back in?”

Tom nodded. “I’m a teacher, whether I’m in front of kids or Air Force men and women. Sarah and I talked about it last night. If I can do something to help, I have to. If they don’t need me, I’m sure there’s plenty to be doing around here.”

Dave had finished putting on his uniform jacket, overcoat, and gloves. He glanced at his hat, ran a handkerchief over the brim and the insignia, and placed it on his head. “Very dashing, Colonel,” Rosa said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Now give your long-suffering service wife a hug.” Dave promptly followed orders from his commander.

The two men walked to the garage and Dave climbed in the passenger’s side of the Suburban, fastening his belt and placing his officer’s cap on his lap. Tom opened the garage door, backed the Suburban out and closed the door using the remote. Rosa and Sarah were waving from the front door as the Suburban headed down the driveway, pausing only long enough for the gate to open, and turned in the direction of Centennial.

The thoughts running through their minds were the same: When will we all be together again?

A few minutes later

The Suburban rolled to a stop in front of the Friendly Store. Dave got out and immediately put on his cap, the old service rule of not being “uncovered” reasserting itself. Tom held the front door open and followed Dave inside.

A loud “Ten-HUT!” came from the back of the store, and two men, about Dave’s edge and both wearing the uniform of a Chief Master Sergeant, jumped to their feet and came to attention.

Dave called out, “At ease,” and shook hands with the two master sergeants and the other men gathered. The coffee group seemed a bit larger to Dave this morning, and then he realized they were gathering to see their friends going off, to recovery or to war.

Sandra came out from the back and gave Dave a big hug. “I always liked you in uniform, Dave.”

One of the men called out, “You liked any man in uniform, Sandra!”

“Oh hush up, Bert,” she said with a laugh. “You two got time for coffee before you go?”

Dave held up his hand. “None for me, thanks. Rosa gave me the traditional send off breakfast, steak and eggs. If I had anything more, I’d likely pop a button.” He turned to the two master sergeants. “Are you gentlemen ready to go? We’ve got an Air Force to run. With a little help, maybe.”

The master sergeants already had their jackets on and headgear handy. They grabbed their suitcases and, with goodbyes and well wishes all around, the four men headed out to Tom’s Suburban.

Sandy stood in the open doorway and waved. “Write when you find work!” she called out, an old joke that never failed to draw a smile. She waved again as the Suburban backed out, pulled onto the highway, and headed towards Laramie. She stood there until long after the Suburban had driven out of sight, wiped her eyes, and headed back inside.

[ss1442]

Wow, nice work. Thank you.

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 25

Monday, December 3rd – 0930 hours
Wyoming Highway 130, western outskirts of Laramie

“Hey, Dave, is that a C-130 landing at the airport?” Tom called out as he was driving east towards Laramie and the Armed Forces Recruiting Offices in the Government complex in East Laramie.

Dave had been turned in his seat, talking to the two master sergeants, swapping stories about places and people they had in common. He looked out the front window. “Darn right that’s a C-130, Tom. Another one coming in a couple minutes behind it, too. Say, take a right on Brees Road in about a mile. Let’s stop at the airport first, see what the Air Force is up to.”

A couple minutes later, Tom made the turn but was stopped at the first cross-street by a roadblock of two Humvees manned by several Air Police. One, the youngest looking of the bunch, held up his hand and approached the vehicle.

“Sorry, folks, this is a restricted area,” the Air Policeman said before his eyes spotted the rank on Dave’s overcoat. A quick salute followed. “Sorry sir, but this is a restricted area. I’ll need to see your IDs and orders, sir.”

Dave returned the salute and spoke. “Son, I’m Colonel David Schmidt. These two master sergeants” - Dave pointed his thumb towards the backseat - “and I are retirees volunteering for active duty again. What’s going on here? Who’s in charge?”

“Sir, Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets is in charge. The airport has been taken over by the Air Force for emergency operations. It’s the closest operable field to Cheyenne and Denver, sir.”

“Is that Norman Tebbets?” Dave asked.

“I believe so, sir. I’m not on first-name basis with any officers, sir.”

Dave smiled. “Relax, son, you’re doing fine. Would you let Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets know that Colonel David Schmidt is out here with a couple of master sergeants?”

“Certainly, sir. If you’ll pull over to the right and remain in the vehicle, sir.” The airman saluted and then double-timed back to the Humvees. Dave could see him talking to an NCO and pointing towards the Suburban, and the NCO then talking on a handset.

After a few minutes, the NCO came over to Dave’s side of the vehicle and saluted. “Sir, I’m Sergeant Jackson. Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets’ compliments, and would you mind going to his office in the main airport building. If you’ll have your driver follow me, sir.”

“Very well, Sergeant. Lead on.” The NCO saluted and then headed over to one of the Humvees, making a tight circle and heading down the airport road at slow speed until the Suburban was following.

“Your driver, eh?” Tom was mock upset.

“You heard the man, Tom. Never argue with an Air Force NCO. Right, gentlemen?” Dave said, glancing toward the back seat, from where a pair of “Yes, sir’s” emanated. All four men laughed as the Humvee led them to the front of the main airport building.

The NCO got out of the Humvee and walked back to Dave’s side of the Suburban. “Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets’ office is through the main doors and to the left, sir. Do you need a hand with anything?”

“Negative, Sergeant, we can handle the bags. Is it okay to leave the Suburban here?” Dave asked.

“Yes sir, I’ll stand by until you get inside and check in with Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets’ aide, Lieutenant Wilson. He’ll have a parking pass that your driver can put on the dash.” The sergeant opened Dave’s door and saluted. “Welcome back, sir. Good luck.”

Dave returned the salute. “Good luck to you too, Sergeant. See you around.”

The four men got out of the Suburban, leaving their bags inside for the moment, and walked through the airport doors. A young, eager-looking lieutenant was standing by, holding a piece of paper.

“Good morning, Colonel. Sergeants. Lieutenant Wilson at your service. Colonel Tebbets is eager to see you, sir. He’s in the airport manager’s office, straight through that door sir. Here’s your parking pass, sir,” handing it to Tom, the only three without any visible rank.

“Very good, Lieutenant. Thank you.” Dave and the two master sergeants went to the door and Dave knocked. A booming voice called out, “Enter!” Dave and the two men did so.

“Colonel Schmidt, as I live and breath! I haven’t seen you since that court martial at Barksdale.” Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets rose from behind his desk and extended his hand, which Dave took.

“These are master sergeants Douglas and Abraham. Both 30-year men from my home town of Centennial.” Greetings were exchanged all around, and Tebbets directed the three men to seats in front of his desk, only sitting down after Colonel Schmidt had done so.

“So you three are rejoining us?” A chorus of yes’s followed Tebbets’ question.

“We were heading into the recruiting complex in Laramie when we saw a couple of C-130s landing here and thought we’d see what was going on,” Dave explained. “I asked a young air policeman at the roadblock who was in charge, and when I heard Tebbets, I knew it had to be you.”

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. Tebbets bellowed out “Enter!” again and Tom did so.

“This is my brother Tom. He got a heads-up from an Air Force buddy and headed back here just in time. Tom, Norm Tebbets. We’ve known each other for years.” The two men shook hands.

“Pull a chair over from that conference table and sit down, son. You looking to come back on active duty as well?”

“If it’s possible, sir,” Tom said. “I was in six years a while back but messed up my back in a helicopter crash and was medicaled out. VA says -”

Tebbets held up his hand. “Let me stop you right there, Tom. HQ says we’re not taking anyone back on active duty that had serious injury or a medical out. I’m sorry.”

Tom shrugged. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained, sir. Thanks for the word.”

“Would’ve liked to had you back. We got hit damn hard last week,” Tebbets explained. “Thank God Edwards made it through. That’s Air Force HQ for the moment. That’s top secret by the way, gentlemen.”

Dave and Tom locked eyes for a long moment. Tom spoke first. “Edwards, sir? Edwards Air Force Base in California?”

Tebbets looked puzzled. “Of course – there’s no other Edwards that I know of.”

Tom tried to speak but couldn’t. Dave stepped in. “Tom and his wife lived in North Edwards. They were both schoolteachers. One of Tom’s buddies gave him the high sign about the crisis, and he and his wife hightailed it east. They were on the main road outside, about fifteen miles west of here, when the bombs hit.”

Tebbets whistled softly. “Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Tom?”

Tom, who had his voice back, spoke softly. “Yes sir, just so. But Edwards is ok?”

“It sure is, Tom. Los Angeles only got hit with one warhead, a smaller one, about 350 kilotons, out at LAX. Prevailing winds took most of the fallout off shore, and when the winds shifted Wednesday, they took the rest of the fallout to the east to” - he paused and opened a folder on his desk - “well, it didn’t go north of the 210 or south of Anaheim, and petered out just past the I-15.” He closed the folder and set it aside.

“Is it possible to get back, sir? For civilians?” Tom asked.

Tebbets shook his head. “Not right now, Tom. Civilian travel is heavily restricted, mostly to smaller roads. Interstates are off limits except to relief and military personnel. Same for fuel – emergency services and military use. I’m sorry.”

Tom smiled, or tried to. “That’s all right, sir. Sarah will be glad to know her, well our, kids are okay. We’re both schoolteachers. Besides we’re set up pretty good out at the Colonel’s place.”

Tebbets thought for a minute. “Let me make a couple calls, Tom. One of our priorities is to try and gets schools running as soon as possible in the clear areas. If we can stretch the definition of relief and emergency services to include teachers, I can get you passes to use the Interstate highways. Gas might be a problem, though. Even military units are running short. Give me your name and phone number and I’ll let you know in a few days.”

“I’d really appreciate it, sir,” Tom said gratefully.

“Now, as for you three,” Tebbets said, turning back to Tom and the two NCOs. “How’d you like to stay right here?”

The three men looked from Tebbets to each other and back to Tebbets again.

Dave spoke up first. “In Wyoming?”

Tebbets smiled broadly. “Better than that. Right here. My job is to establish emergency air bases at surviving airports. Laramie is my first stop. Once things are up and running here, I’ll turn over command to someone else and go on to my next stop. Dave, how’d you like to command Laramie Air Force Base? I can’t guarantee a star, but you’ll be driving distance to your home. These two master sergeants could serve on your staff. Sound good?”

All three of the air force veterans immediately said, “Yes, sir!”

Tebbets laughed and pulled a note pad in front of him. “Let me get your information and I’ll contact Edwards. Got your DD-214s and other papers?” Colonel Schmidt and the two NCOs each handed over a manila envelope. “Fine, fine, this’ll speed things up considerably. I’ll get this all to Edwards and let you know what HQ says.”

Tebbets thought for a moment. “You know, my authority is pretty broad here. I can’t see HQ not wanting any of you. I can swear the three of you back into active duty right now and get the personnel paperwork rolling. Until HQ gives us more definite information, we’ll consider Laramie Air Force Base your duty station. How far away do you three live?”

Dave spoke up. “We’re about 25 miles out, more or less.”

Tebbets thought again. “We’re okay on gas here for the moment. You can stay here ‘on base,’ as it were. Officers’ and enlisted quarters are the same, right now – a cot, a pillow, and two blankets. If the three of you would commute together, you could draw fuel from our resources and live at your homes. That sound okay?”

Once again, the three men from Centennial looked at each other and back at Tebbets, and Dave spoke up for them. “We’d like that very much.”

“All right, then,” Tebbets said, reaching into his desk for two file cards. “If you gentlemen would please rise? We’ll start with you, Colonel Schmidt. Please repeat after me, sir.

“I, David Schmidt, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

“Congratulations, Colonel, and welcome back,” Tebbets said as he extended his hand. He then handed Colonel Schmidt one of the file cards from his desk. “Since you are now officially an officer and a gentleman again, Colonel, perhaps you’d like to swear in these two gentlemen?”

“With pleasure. Master Sergeant Douglas, Master Sergeant Abraham, please raise your right hands and repeat after me.” Colonel Schmidt read a similar oath to swear the two NCOs back in to active duty. Congratulatory handshakes followed all around.

“Douglas, Abrahams, if you two will excuse us, I need a few words with Lieutenant Colonel Tebbets here. I’ll meet you at the Suburban in a few minutes.” A pair of yes sir’s followed, and two very happy Master Sergeants went outside.

“Fast action, Norm. Always liked that about you,” Dave remarked with a smile.

“What can I do for you, Colonel?” Tebbets asked.

“Have you heard anything about the Missile Alert Facilities? My son Bruce was on duty at Alpha-1, near Albin, Wyoming.”

The smile on Tebbets’ face faded. “I had a report on that a couple of days ago.” Tebbets unlocked a file drawer and pulled out a red folder. “Obviously, this is all top secret for the moment. Now, let’s see. Of the three squadrons out of Warren, that’s fifteen MAFs, thirteen were hit. Ground Zero for ten of those was within the fenced area and we believe they were destroyed. The other three sustained detonations within a mile. We believe they could have survived, but we’ve gotten no communications from them. It’s still too hot to send rescue teams in to try to make entry through the escape tunnels.” Tebbets looked up. “One of those three was Alpha-1.”

Dave couldn’t speak. Tom walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, and, looking at Tebbets, said, “Any idea when the rescue teams can get in there, sir?”

Tebbets closed the file and put it back in the cabinet. “Hard to say, really. If the radiation level peaked at a thousand REM, we could risk sending a rescue team in by Wednesday of this week, but that’s at about 5 REM. If we wait for it to decay to 1 REM, that’d be next Tuesday.”

Tom spoke up. “Don’t let them take any unnecessary risks, Norm. I don’t want it and Bruce wouldn’t either.”

Tebbets shook his head. “No suicide missions, Dave. That’s why provisions in the launch control centers were doubled during the alert period. If a crew survives, they could go on short rations and stay down as long as eight weeks. They’d be darned skinny, but they’d be alive.”

Tebbets came around from his desk and put his hand on Dave’s other arm. “Why don’t you go on home for the day? There’s not much to be done until I hear back from HQ. Stop by Wednesday morning at 0900 and I’ll give you the grand tour. Same goes for those two master sergeants.”

Dave looked up and took Tebbets' hand. “Thanks, Norm. This’ll mean a lot of Rosa, my working here in Laramie and living at home. We don’t need to be separated, not now.”

Tebbets nodded and looked at Tom. “I’ll check with HQ about you too, but I’m almost positive they’ll turn you down because of the back. And I’ll let you know about the Edwards thing, too.” They shook hands, and the two Schmidts left what would likely become Dave’s office in the near future.

[kaijafon]

whoot!!!! that is a lot of MOAR!!!! Thank you SO SO SO much!

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 26

Monday, December 3rd – 1030 hours – Laramie Air Force Base

The four men walked out to the Suburban in a near-daze, unable to believe their good fortune.

“Mind if I take the wheel, Tom? Since we’re this close to Laramie, I wanted to see if Walmart is open and has anything worth buying.”

“Sure thing,” Tom said, laughing. “Former staff sergeants always like being chauffeured around by bird colonels. I’m sure these two master sergeants won’t complain, either!” Laughter filled the vehicle as Dave pulled away from the curb and headed back toward the roadblock.

The sergeant from earlier recognized Dave and saluted, which Dave returned, just before pulling onto Brees Road and then back onto Highway 130 heading for I-80 and the Walmart Supercenter on the other side of Laramie.

Even before Dave turned from Grand Avenue into the Supercenter parking lot, he and the others could see a crowd at the front door – fairly large but surprisingly quiet.

Dave pulled into an open spot where he wouldn’t be blocked in and the four men got out. “Why don’t you three head up to the line, see what’s going on? I’ll catch up in a second.” The others nodded and headed for the line.

Dave reached under the driver’s seat and brought out a briefcase. Unlocking the case, he withdrew his.45, checked that it was loaded and on safe, and put in down in his overcoat pocket. The crowd looked quiet, but looks can be deceiving, he thought. Adjusting his hat and locking the SUV, Dave headed for the store.

The Supercenter looked to be well prepared for any problems. It appeared as if all the entrance and exit doors were locked and barricaded, except for one set of doors at the front. A private security firm’s car was parked across the door, about three feet away from them, and a couple rows of shopping carts were arranged so that nobody could walk (or run) straight into the store. Two security guards, both with shotguns cradled in their arms, were on each side of the gap in the carts, and a Walmart employee counting people as they entered and exited. A Laramie Police Department vehicle with one officer was patrolling the shopping center, and a second officer was walking a foot patrol.

Dave joined the three other men in line. Despite its length, the line moved. After a few minutes, it was clear that only a certain number of customers were being let in at a time, to prevent any problems in the store. Dave was impressed with the planning that went into the operation.

After about a half hour, they were almost at the head of the line. Dave spoke to one of the security guards. “Had much trouble here?”

The guard was obviously ex-military by the way he straightened up and replied crisply, “Not yet, Colonel. We don’t plan to set it start, either, sir.”

Dave smiled, “Looks like a well-planned operation. You checking guns?”

The guard shook his head. “Not yet, anyway. People have been pretty good. Are you carrying, sir?” he said quietly.

Dave nodded. “A .45, right overcoat pocket.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem, sir. We’ve got a few men inside as well – not all in uniform, either. Anything starts, they’ll stop it, sir.”

“Good deal, then. I’m too old to be playing John Wayne.”

The guard laughed. “Always preferred Ward Bond, myself. You’re up next, sir.”

The Walmart clerk held up her hand until two more customers had left. “You four are next in. Limits on everything are posted inside the main door. Cash only, I’m afraid. Have a good day.”

“Thank you,” the four men said almost in unison, as they walked past the young woman. They threaded their way through the maze, and walked in the door.

All four were surprised at the amount of items available. Trust Walmart to keep going after a nuclear war, Dave thought. The chain’s inventory control and organization was legendary. More than once the Air Force had consulted Walmart executives in an effort to improve their own supply system.

The four men were able to get several bags of potatoes and even a couple bags of oranges which were edible, but beginning to look a bit past their prime. Dave was surprised that they still have .45 ammunition in stock, or any ammo at all, for that matter. The other three men bought their limit in .45, and Dave bought his limit in other things they wanted. Bartering like that went on as they went through the store.

Finally, Tom maneuvered the cart to a register and a clerk began checking them out. It took longer, since the computers were down, but the job got done. Dave took out his wallet to pay as the other three men bagged the purchases and put them back in the cart.

“How’ve things been in here since attack, Susan?” Dave asked, noting her name tag, as he handed over four hundred-dollar bills. He’d settle up with the others later.

“Pretty good, Colonel Schmidt,” she replied with a smile. “You don’t remember me, do you, sir?”

Dave was at a loss for words, a rare occurrence. “Forgive me, but I don’t. Where do I know you from, Susan?”

“My dad was Rod Sanderson. We lived in Centennial until about five years ago, when we moved into Laramie.”

Dave shook his head. “Forgive an old man’s memory, Susan. It’s been a long time. How’re your folks?”

Susan’s smile faded. “They were in Cheyenne when the bombs hit. Mom had just had heart surgery, and Dad was staying on a couch in the room. I imagine they were both asleep when...” Her voice died to a whisper. “When it happened.”

She handed him his change and he took her hand briefly. “I’m so sorry, Susan. They were good people, both of ‘em. You making out all right?”

Susan gave him a thin smile. “Well as can be expected, sir.”

“Stay strong, hon. You ever need anything, you call me and Rosa. We’re still in Centennial.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that. Say hi to Rosa for me.” She began checking out the next customer, and Dave and the others made their way out of the store.

The crowd was about the same size as when they had gone in, and just as quiet. A couple of grumblers, like you’d find in any group of people waiting, were dealt with quickly by the security guards.

Dave’s attention was drawn to a white sedan parked about three slots the other side of their car, with two men sitting inside, smoking and looking around. Dave coughed and, with his hand up to his mouth, said, “Heads up, guys. We might have trouble.

“What do you want to do, Colonel?” one of the master sergeants asked.

“Load the Suburban and get the hell out of here would be my preference. Tom, are you carrying?” Dave asked.

“Not on me,” he replied. “I’ve got the .38 and two speedloaders locked in the glove box.”

“Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll open the back. Douglas, you and Abrahams load the stuff up. Tom, you take the keys, get your pistol, and cover us from the front. I’ll get my .45 out and cover us from back here. Keep your pistol out of sight, Tom. No sense asking for trouble. But if they look like they’re going to open up on us, take ‘em down. Understood?”

Three yessirs answered that question. “Okay, men, nice and easy. Let’s go.”

As planned, Dave unlocked the back and slipped the keys to Tom, who got his pistol out, holding it just inside his coat in one hand, with both speed loaders in his other hand. Douglas and Abrahams loaded the vehicle quickly. Dave helped, while keeping his .45 in his right hand.

Douglas and Abrahams took the two carts back to a rack about 30 feet away. As Dave closed the back of the Suburban, he heard a yell from Tom, followed by half a dozen shots, not all of them Tom’s. He ducked down and brought his pistol up to fire at the white car. He found there was no need to.

The two men in the front seat of the sedan were slumped over, and were clearly no longer a threat to anyone. Dave couldn’t see any movement in the back seat but he wasn’t taking any chances. He maintained his position, .45 pointed at the car, and chanced a look around.

The crowd at the front of the Walmart had scattered when the first shot was fired. The Laramie police car came screaming around from behind the Walmart and headed for the Suburban, as did one of the guards, shotgun in hand, from the store and the Laramie cop on foot.

Suddenly Dave heard a shout from the front of the Suburban. “Man down! We need a medic! Tom’s been hit!”

[brucearmstrong65]

Lariat Advance – Chapter 27

Monday, December 3rd – 1200 hours
Parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter, Laramie, Wyoming

Dave shuddered but kept his bead on the attacker’s car. “How bad is it?”

Tom replied, “Don’t buy the casket yet, I’m still alive. Just my hard head, is all.”

“Abrahams, keep him quiet, if that’s possible. I’ll be over as soon as the cops check the other car.”

The Laramie police car pulled to a screeching halt about ten feet from the back bumper of the white (now reddish) sedan. The officer got out with his shotgun aimed at the sedan but his eyes towards Dave. “What the hell happened, Colonel?”

“At least two opened up on us to get our stuff. My brother returned fire. He’s hit - up by the front of the Suburban. Careful – I don’t know if there’s anyone else in that car.”

The officer nodded and spoke into the handset on his shoulder. The security guard took up position at the nose of the Suburban, and the officer on foot, puffing by this point, joined his partner.

The two officers whispered, their heads together for a moment, then one approached the driver’s side rear door while the other stood at the back of the car, aiming through the back window.

The first officer shouted, “Okay, if there’s anybody in the back seat of that car, I better see two empty hands in the air.”

After a few seconds, a bloody pair of empty hands were raised.

“All right, sit up very slowly and place your hands on the passenger’s headrest in front of you.” The occupant complied. “Okay, use your right hand to open the right rear door and push it open.” The occupant again complied. “Okay, that’s good. Now carefully crawl out of the car and lay flat on the ground. Do NOT stand up or you will be shot.”

The occupant, clearly wounded, crawled out of the back seat onto the pavement and collapsed.

The first officer motioned his partner forward. The partner approached the wounded man, holstered his pistol, took a pair of handcuffs from his belt and then secured the man.

“Officer,” Dave called out. “Okay to move? I’d like to check my brother.”

“Yeah, sure, just make sure that pistol’s on safe and bring it over to me. I’ll need to hold onto it for a while. Your brother’s gun, too.”

Dave safed the weapon, reversed the weapon and stood up, handing it to the first responding officer. He ran around the back and saw Tom, propped up against the right front tire of the Suburban, blood down the right side of his face. Abrahams had taken a first-aid kit from under the passenger front seat of the Suburban and was already working on him.

“How’re you feeling, Tom?” Dave knelt down by Abrahams’ side and looked at his brother’s bloody face.

“Like I got shot in the head, you idiot!” Tom replied in semi-mock exasperation.

Abrahams looked to his left at the colonel. “He’ll be fine, sir. I think it’s just a crease to his forehead, near the temple.”

The wail of sirens announced the arrival of paramedics and backup units for the officers.

Dave reached over and picked up Tom’s .38. “The police will need this for a while, Tom. You’ll get it back soon enough.”

“That he will. How does right now sound?” said the first responding officer from behind Tom, who stood and handed the officer the .38, again butt first.

“Right now, officer? How so?” Tom asked. “Won’t there be a shooting investigation, ballistics, and whatnot?”

The officer – Tom saw his nametag read Oxman – shook his head. “Things are streamlined now. I’ll need the expended shell casings and the two live rounds, and we’ll take pictures and measurements” - he motioned to a detective already at work - “plus statements from the four of you, but it’s a clean shoot anyway you look at it. You’ll be able to go home within the hour.”

The paramedics were looking Tom over, cleaning his head and face and bandaging him up. The officer asked, “Hey, Snyder, he gonna make it?” and one of the paramedics turned and gave a thumbs up. “He’ll have a pretty good headache for a couple days is all. Normally I’d say a night in the hospital, but there’s no room with the casualties from the outskirts of Cheyenne.”

The detective took statements from all four men, as well as the security guard, and a couple of other witnesses nearby. Tom was sitting in the passenger front seat of the Suburban, with his eyes closed. The two master sergeants and Dave were standing around the passenger’s door, talking with the first officer.

The detective approached and handed Dave an evidence bag containing both of the pistols. “I’m writing it up as a clean shoot. You’re free to go.”

“How’d those guys check out, Bob?” the first officer asked.

“Computers are down, but Steve Jackson from the gang unit ID’d all three of ‘em. Long records, multiple stints in prison. He thinks they’re responsible for at least three other stickups in the last two days. Same M.O.” Bob turned to Dave. “You guys are lucky. Three dead and five wounded from the other holdups. By the way, your brother’s a helluva shot. Four rounds fired, three hits. I don’t do that well at the police range, most of the time.”

Bob turned and walked towards the back of the Suburban, then stopped and motioned Dave over.

“Thought you’d want to know. The first two were DOA and the third died before the ambulance made it out of the parking lot. No great loss. But your brother” - the two men glanced towards Tom - “he’ll probably really feel it tomorrow. Every cop I know who’s had to shoot does, including yours truly.” The detective handed Tom a business card. “Have him give me a call if he needs to talk. I heard we’ll have phones back up within a week.”

Dave nodded. “Already do in Centennial. Just local, but still, it’s a start.”

The detective extended his hand and the two men. “I won’t say it’s been a pleasure, but thanks for your help. Good luck to you.”

Dave walked back to the Suburban. Tom was asleep, or appeared to be. Dave spoke to the two master sergeants, “You guys did good today, especially you, Abrahams. Thanks. Now let’s get back home.”

The drive back to Centennial was a quiet one. The adrenaline rush the four men had felt when the bullets were flying had worn off. Tom was asleep and Douglas and Abrahams were staring out their windows. The drive from the Laramie Walmart to Centennial took about 40 minutes in good weather, but it seemed to take hours.

Dave dropped Douglas and Abrahams off at their homes with their Walmart bags and made plans to pick them up at the Friendly Store at 0730 on Wednesday. Tom woke up as Dave pulled through the gate and into the garage. “Just sit tight here for a minute, Tom. I want to give Rosa a heads up as to what happened, so she can tell Sarah before she sees you with a bloody bandage.”

Dave got out of the driver’s side, walked around to the other side and went into the house. He could hear Rosa working in the kitchen and walked down the hall towards her, his head on a swivel looking for Sarah.

“Hey, good looking!” Dave said quietly as he stood in the kitchen doorway.

“Careful, lover,” Rosa replied as she turned. “My husband will be home any minute.” She got a look at Dave’s face. “What happened? Something did, I can see it in your face. Air Force didn’t want you back?”

“Where’s Sarah?” he asked.

“We had an early lunch and she went upstairs to take a nap. Now what happened?” Rosa replied, with more emphasis on the last two words.

Motioning Rosa into the hallway and towards the garage, Dave said quietly, “We stopped at the Walmart Supercenter in Laramie after we got our Air Force business done. Some guys tried to rob us. Tom shot them and got a minor injury in the process.”

He opened the garage door for Rosa and she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Tom’s bloody bandaged head.

“Madre Dios!” she exclaimed, as she stepped forward. “Tom was shot?!?”

“It’s not that bad, Rosa,” Tom said with his eyes closed. “Except the paramedics had run out of lollipops.”

“I’d suspect brain damage,” Dave said, shaking his head, “but with Tom, how would you know?”

Tom sat up, opened the door, and got out. “Do I at least get a Good Conduct Medal for today?”

“No,” Rosa said, “but I’ll try and find you that lollipop.”

The witty repartee was interrupted by a piercing scream from behind Rosa. Sarah had heard the Suburban pull in before she fell asleep and had come down to see what was what. What was what, she saw, was her husband with a bloody bandage wrapped around his head.

Dave and Rosa each put out a hand to steady her as she ran the few steps to Tom, stumbling in the process.

Tom wrapped his arms around Sarah and held her for several moments. Dave and Rosa took the opportunity to slip inside the house and close the door. They walked back to the kitchen and sat down.

The two sat silently, holding hands across the table top. Finally Rosa spoke up. “Do I even want to ask how things went with the Air Force?”

Dave smiled. “Better than you could have possibly imagined.” He went on to recount the day’s events, up to and including the shooting at Walmart.

Rosa was near speechless. “So you’re back in the Air Force, you’ll be working in Laramie and staying here full-time?”

“That’s about the shape of things, assuming Air Force HQ doesn’t get a wild hair and change things. But that’s not the best part. Guess where Air Force HQ is now,” Dave asked Rosa.

“I don’t have any idea, hon. Where?”

“About three miles south of Tom and Sarah’s home,” Dave said simply.

“Thr – that’s – you mean, Edwards didn’t get hit?” Rosa questioned.

“Not even fallout from the LA bomb. Tom was in shock when Norm Tebbets gave him the news.”

Rosa stood up. “Oh, Sarah will be so pleased! We’ve got to tell her -”

Another loud yell from the garage, but this time one of pleasure.

Dave smiled. “I think Tom just did.”

A few moments later, Sarah came running into the kitchen and hugged Rosa. “Did Dave tell you? Edwards is ok! Our house, the kids...” Sarah sobbed.

The women embraced for long moments.

“It’s all coming together, Dave,” Tom said quietly from behind him. Just one more piece to finish the puzzle.”

Dave nodded. “The biggest piece of all.”

[ydderf]

Thanks for the update.

[kaijafon]

thanks so much!!