Muster

by Christoff Orr

  Due to their sustained push, they were finally within striking distance of the rest of the Zion group. Since the initial contact with the Michigan group, Ms. White and the Commander had stayed in continues communications, to ensure that each would intercept one another. Now, as the team set up for a few hours rest, the Commander looked over a map he had, ensuring they were still on the correct path. For the time being, the fourteen-person team set up camp upon a mountain just on the outskirts of the sleeping town. Above the rocky peaks of the mountainside, the team had a majestic view of the Great Salt Lake, where the sun had finally succumb to time and drowned itself within he waters of the lake.

  “We still good?” Lt. Preen asked as he walked up to the Commander, and handed him a tin cup of coffee.

  The Commander gratefully took the cup of much-needed fuel. He raised the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid, letting the caffeine-enriched drink slide down the back of his throat. “I’ll say this for you Navy boys, you sure do have some good coffee.”

  “Ha!” Lt. Preen let out a short, but loud laugh. “When I headed out on this little adventure, there were two things I made sure we had plenty of, ammo and coffee.” Lt. Preen said with a smile as he raised his tin cup of coffee.

  “I always said you Navy boys were smart.” The Commander looked down at the map then out towards the Great Salt Lake. “Now as to your question for our direction, the best I can say is, yes. At least as far as I can tell. I’ve tried to radio my boss just a few moments ago but got no answer. So, that’s why I’m saying as far as I can tell. For now, we’ll go ahead and bunk down here for the night. We’ll break camp about an hour before sunrise and be on the move before daylight appears.”

  Lt. Preen held the handle his cup of coffee with his right hand, as his left wrapped around it. His fingers could feel the warmth of the liquid permeate through the tin cup. He nodded his head in agreement on the plan, as he looked back towards the town they had just passed. “You know,” He started, as he hooked his words around to the Commander, while keeping his view out towards the horizon. “Despite everything I heard over the radio, and I heard a lot, it’s still hard for me to believe all that has happened. I mean, when we get on a boat and go down, it always seems like the rest of the world is put on pause. Then we resurface, either at home, or some other location, and instantly it picks up, right where we left it. But this time,” He paused as he took another sip of his coffee. “I don’t know, it like a Twilight Zone or something. Like we came up in an alternate universe. None of this seems real or logical.”

  “I think that is the best way to describe what’s going on around here because none of it is really logical.” The Commander commented back.

  Lt. Preen continued his gaze towards the town, then turned it slowly towards the yellowish lighting that surrounded the smelting operations at the base of the mountain. He nodded his head towards the lights as he questioned, “What’s that down there?”

  The Commander followed his gaze down towards the smelting operations. He snuck in another sip of his coffee before he replied, “That is the only reason this town is still alive. Without that operation down below, all the good people of the town we just passed through, would have been sacrificed, left to fend for themselves and most likely died off. It’s a copper mining operation, once run by a company called Kennecott, now like everything else in this area, it belongs to the Chinese government.”

  This brought a quick reaction from Lt. Preen as he snapped a quick look at the Commander, “Are you shitting me? Back to China?”

  “Yep,” The Commander answered quickly back. He then continued, “They were smart when they and the Russians carved up the nation. They took smaller portions of land, leaving large metropolises like New York, nearly the entire West coast, Chicago and Philadelphia were all given to the Russians, they instead took places like West Virginia, Iowa, Texas, upper Utah and such. They shipped over two hundred million Chinese workers to work the mines, the oil fields, and farmland. Most of them work in supervising roles, but some get down in the dirt and get their hands dirty.”

  Lt. Preen shook his head in disbelief, then asked, “And everyone was okay with this? Congress, the White House, the People?” The last word was bitterly spat out of the Lieutenants mouth. As a not so hidden layer of disgust encased the word, indicating his frustration with how many of Americans were so willing to sit back and do nothing.

  “What Congress? There’s no longer a Congress or Senate, and the White House is just that, a white house, symbolic in nature, but nothing of real substance.” The Commander answered, anger in his tone.

  “No President? Who runs the show then?” Lt. Preen asked, now completely overwhelmed with all he is hearing. Their time spent on the Michigan was mostly done so in the dark. They knew about the lights going out, they heard rumors about the Fox Wars, and about the invasion of the Russian’s and Chinese, but seeing it first hand, that was a different ballgame altogether.

  “There is a President in name, but there is really only one man who runs everything, everyone calls him the King. I thought you would have known most of this?” The Commander asked.

  Lt. Preen nodded, then said, “Edwin Magness, him I know. To answer your question, when the wire came across to return home, it was a bit of surprise, especially considering our mission.”

  “Which was?” The Commander quickly asked.

  Lt. Preen smiled for a moment as if he was debating on answering. “I guess it’s no longer a national secret.” He still paused another moment, as he wondered if he could somehow be court marshaled later for reveling their mission. “We were floating just outside of North Korea. My team and I were sent on a special assignment to capture a scientist and all of his technology. We weren’t back on the boat more than two hours before the news came across that the lights were out. Immediately we turned the boat around and started heading home. It was during our trip back that we got a bit more information about what exactly happened. It was then that we put two and two together and realized something didn’t match up. By that time, things apparently started to get a bit desperate back here in the States.” Lt. Preen paused as he looked down towards his cup of coffee, the moonlight seemingly sat within his cup, atop the warm liquid. “I lost my wife and two kids during the blackout. There were others aboard the Michigan who lost family as well. Soon the Skipper, XO, COB and I had a little meeting, about what to do. Considering what we had recovered from North Korea, and what we heard was happening back home, we decided he had to do something.”

  Completely intrigued, the Commander quickly asked, “What did you do?”

  “We cut all communications. We stopped taking orders from COMSUBRON Nineteen, and basically went AWOL.” Lt. Preen let out a slight laugh, “I mean who would have ever think that an entire US nuclear submarine would commit mutiny. I wonder if they’ll hang me, I mean if they catch me?” He asked, as he let out a slight chuckle. The laugh though was quickly choked off as he subconsciously rubbed his neck.

  “You mentioned something. You said you added two and two together. What exactly did you mean by that?” The Commander asked as he thew the last bit of coffee in his cup down his throat.

  Lt. Preen, held his own cup, as he slowly turned it upside down, pouring out his last bit onto the ground. The darkened coffee colored the white snow that sat previously uninterrupted upon the mounting floor. “How many people do you think died so far? Millions? I mean, I bet entire cities have been wiped out, gone, just like that.” He paused a moment as he looked skyward towards the moonlit sky. “You ever been double-crossed, cheated, lied to? I mean I have no problem going up against an enemy who wants to kill me, that’s what I signed up for. It’s the ones who hides alongside you that get me.” With his tin coffee cup in his left hand, he methodically tapped it with his right index finger. He casually looked up at the Commander, “I think we’re going to have to wait till the Captain and your boss meet up before I tell you the rest. No offense, but after all, we did just meet, and I d
on’t give it away on the first day. I’ll tell you this much, that King you mentioned, Edwin Magness. WE know what he has done.” This last declaration came out more like a hiss, the words bitter on his lips. “We knew it was bad, but we didn’t realize how bad till later. Because of the package we had, we had to stay dark. Longer than expected, longer than most would have liked. Now, now that we are here, I regret that we ever went black. I wish I could have been in the fight.”

  “At least you’re in the fight now brother,” The Commander said.

  “Thanks,” Lt. Preen answered back. He looked out towards the distant yellow lights that lit up the yard of the copper smelting facility. He watched a train slowly ramble by along some tracks that ran just outside of the fence of the smelting yard. He then looked back towards the Commander. “When you mentioned the Chinese, and Russians and how things got split up, it seemed like there was something else there.”

  “You could say that.” The Commander said with a sarcastic smile. “When the lights came back on, we were told that it was through the strength and kindness of the Chinese and Russian governments, that power was restored. Then we were told that to ensure their new investment, they would be stationing troops here, to help safeguard things till we were able to get back on their feet. Then we were later told, that to help sustain such large forces here, we would need to share our natural resources and goods with these nations. That is when, what many refer to as The Great Divide, happened. Those in charge apparently sat down and decided how to carve up The States. Russia being the way they are, went for instant gratification, the large cities with still sustainable populations and a lot of flashes. The Chinese were more tactical in their move. They went for the infrastructure, the very thing that made America great during the World Wars and what made us a big player on the world stage, our natural recourses.”

  Lt. Preen chucked a little, “Ha, that should play out interesting in the next bit.”

  The sound of a train whistle caught the attention of both men, as they turned and looked down towards the copper smelting yard. From their perspective, they couldn’t see everything clearly, but they could still see that something was happening, as a large mass of people started to gather around the train. The watched for a second, and after determining nothing of interest was there, they turned and joining the others who were gathered around a small, fledgling fire. It didn't provide much warmth, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, and unsure of their surroundings, the fire was mainly for warming up some coffee and not much else. Ten of the fourteen-person group sat quietly around the light, the other four were set up a little bit further out, watching, one in each direction. The night sky, which had started out clear had slowly began to gather heavy storm clouds. The crisp night air began to take on the fragrance of a snow as a storm approached from the North.

  The mood of the group was that of exhaustion. They did their best to but utmost professionals and always be ready for an attack, but each was getting worn down in their own way. Jay and Trigger, of course, were filling the brunt of the physically grueling pace. The cold air made their damaged bodies ache that much more. Those from the Michigan, had spent such a long time down under, that now that they are back on solid footing, it was taking them a little bit of time to re-acclimate their body. Not much unlike astronauts who had spent a long period of time out in space. They too, need to get their body accustomed to being back on land. As for the Commander, Ariella, and Conall, they too, were feeling the struggles of the arduous trail. They had survived the battle of Zion, just to nearly starve to death, before embarking on this journey, where they not only suffered lack of food but that of warmth and sleep.

  Now all fourteen, sat quietly, eating or just letting their minds relax, as soft snowflakes began to trace downward. None dared sleep at this point, but a couple did lay back, resting their heads on a nice soft rock, and enjoyed not moving.

  Jay laid there, a mound of dirt used as a pillow. He had elevated his leg slightly in an attempt to reduce the pain built up within. Trigger had curled up close, the ever vigilant companions body pressed up against Jay’s. The warmth of the two together, helped fend off the chill in the night air as snow continued to build up, layer upon layer. Jay laid there a moment, then looked over at Trigger as he asked: “I don’t know who smells worse boy, me or you?” He closed his eyes, not to sleep but to think.

  As Jay laid there, he thought about his dad, and how he was never going to see him again. He then thought about Reyna and prayed that he would see her again. So much has changed since the two of them left on their mission to go find help. Now as he laid there, soft flakes of snow fell on his face, their cool embrace melting upon his flesh. At that moment he knew what he had to do. As soon as he got back, he was going to do it. Wasn’t going to hesitate anymore.

  Quite had finally settled down upon the little camp, even the stingy fire had finally yielded to the cooling night and flickered out. Now only a pencil-thin trail of white smoke stretched skyward from the center of the ashes, as if to declare its surrender. The sound of the train whistle could be heard once again off in the distance. The sound was carried on a soft breeze that ran up the mountainside and washed over the teams camp. Another sound was soon carried upon the breeze, one all too familiar with those within the group. It was the sound of automatic gunfire, coming from the same location as the train.

  The Commander jumped to his feet, “Conall, report!”

  “Not here mate! It’s coming from down below,” Conall quickly replied.

  The Commander then turned his attention towards Lt. Preen, “Lieutenant?”

  “I got nothing.” Lt. Preen quickly answered as he and the rest of his men quickly readied themselves. “Digger, Sonny, head towards the ridge over there, let me know what you can see.” Lt. Preen called out, as another volley of gunfire could be heard coming up the mounting ridge.

  Digger and Sonny quickly scrambled towards the edge, while the rest, packed up any gear they had sitting around and readied their weapons. The snow had tapered off and was now just sporadically descended towards them in a slow meandering manner.

  “LT, you’re going to want to see this,” Digger called out from the ridge-line.

  Both Lt. Pine and the Commander hurriedly made their way towards Digger and Sonny. The last two feet, they got low and nearly crawled on their belly, so to not create a visible profile along the rocky ridge. Lt. Preen came right up next to Digger how handed him the binoculars. Even without the glasses Lt. Preen could see an overabundance of movement down below in the open yard of the copper smelting plant.

  The freshly laden snow, was disheveled upon the ground, and a large group of men were being hurried from one side to another. But what really caught the attention of Lt. Preen, was the very recognizable sight of a man down on the ground. There was a pool of fresh blood had been soaked into the snow. The blood had turned the white frozen crystals into a dark shade of purple under the yellowed industrial lights. He pulled the binoculars up to his eyes and focused on the body first. What he expected to see and what he actually saw where absolute polar opposites. He thought he would see an American worker, maybe someone who disobeyed an order. Instead what he saw was a Chinese soldier, and one who was missing the majority of the back of his head. Lt. Preen lowered the glasses and handed them over to the Commander, as he said calmly, “Well, that can’t be good.”

  The Commander gave a quizzical look towards Lt. Preen, before he took ownership of the glasses and had a look for himself. He too first went to the man down on the ground, but then focused on the crowd of still breathing souls near the train cars. He watched as they were herded into the open cars on the train, forced in like cattle to the slaughter. To his surprise as well, these men too were dressed in Chinese uniforms, while those doing the enforcing were wearing the winter uniform of a Russian soldier. “What in all that is holy is going on?” The Commander asked as he lowered the glasses and looked back at Lt. Preen.

  “Don’t look at me, I ju
st got in this fight.” Lt. Preen answered right back.

  A few feet behind them, near the extinguished fire, Jay knelt down on his right knee, his rifle held at a low ready. He gave a quick glance back towards the Commander and the others near the ridge, though could barely make them out in the darkened night. Trigger, had been sitting patiently, till all of a sudden he stood up on all three’s. His hair bristled, as a low growl started to form in his belly and exited through his sharp exposed teeth. His tail, which a moment ago, wagged back and forth in the snow-laden ground, now firmly curved upwards, as every part of the dog stiffened. His growl wasn’t loud, at least not loud enough to be heard from a distance, and Trigger was too well trained to bark at this point, instead, he readied himself and waited to be released.

  “What is it, boy?” Jay asked quietly as he now raised his rifle up, securing it firmly against his shoulder as he tried to pick a target through the iron sights. Though it was imposable for him to really see anything, this depleted clouds covered the moon. With no external light to assist, all he could do was point in the general direction that Trigger was indicating and wait.