2041 The Charters of Freedom
Page 26
A sound system equipped Hummer pulled into the Main Office Parking Lot. Two Troopers hoisted the Stars & Stripes up the flagpole, followed by the Deseret flag. Then, as an MQ-9 Reaper made a low pass over Round Mountain, the sound system blasted out the Star-Spangled Banner and the music reverberated throughout the southern end of Big Smoky Valley.
Even before Delvin received radio confirmation, he faintly heard the Anthem echoing up the Valley, he knew Round Mountain had fallen.
Then, Tommy gave him more good news, “Puma’s over Carver’s. They’re gone. They’re all gone.”
Captain Smith shouted with joy, “Load up! We’re heading to Carver’s.”
“Thank God, Delvin. I was afraid.”
“Why were you afraid, Thomas? We’ve established a strong defensive position. We would have easily crushed a retreating rabble.”
“Your exactly right, Slick. I wasn’t afraid for our safety. I was afraid of what we would have to do.”
Operation Roosevelt
It was now mid-July, several days after the fall of Round Mountain and Carver’s, Lieutenant Josephine Parker had the pleasure of sending another message to Colonel Cooper down in the Bunker.
“Parker to Cooper, Jefferson. I repeat, Jefferson.”
The Keeper was seated next to Jo at the shortwave, “Keeper to Cooper, Monticello. I repeat, Monticello.”
“Cooper to Jo, confirming, Jefferson is at home in Monticello.
“Would Captain Smith happen to be available?”
Jo muted the mike, “Slick, the damned brass is on the horn asking for you.”
Delvin ran into the Jackson’s triple wide, “Smith here.”
“Captain Smith, Command Authority requests status report on Operation Daisy. Top Priority. Get your ass in gear Captain! Cooper out.”
True to his word, under The Keeper’s watchful eye, Tom had enlisted Miss Daisy’s help to pack Jo’s cargo (The Charters) up into the Toiyabes, just above Stonewall Ranch. Tom had carefully wrapped and sealed each case in plastic film. He then deposited each case in its own hidden cache, carved and blasted into the Toiyabe mountains.
The Keeper’s hooch was centrally located amongst the three hidden caches. Over the years, the Jacksons had blasted and hewn a small, but comfortable bug out shelter into the mountains.
Before The Keeper could take up residence, he and the Jacksons had to return Tom’s prized possessions back to their triple-wide library home. Miss Daisy was uncharacteristically cooperative as she packed all the books back to the triple wide. Daisy had made a new friend in The Keeper.
As the Jackson family packed and loaded Tom’s books, The Keeper was catching glances and glimpses of some titles. He began smiling. The Charters had found a good home, for now.
Once everything was hauled down to the house, the library had to be put back together. Delvin, Jo and Junior pitched right in. Every so often, The Keeper couldn’t help himself. He would see an irresistible cover, pick up the book, and begin reading.
“Sweet Jesus, Keeper. Get up off your ass and let’s get this done. We’ve all got things to do. You can read the book after we get this library squared away.”
Tom couldn’t help but ask the question, although he now had his suspicions, “Jo, why do you call him The Keeper? What exactly does he keep?”
“Look, Sweet Pea, we’ve been through all this. Just like you can’t tell me anything about your secret turquoise mine, I can’t tell you a damned thing about that cargo.”
“So, The Keeper keeps the cargo?”
Jo silently gave Tom the sternest of looks, although it was hard to tell through all the bandages.
“The Keeper keeps three sealed cases?”
Jo was now gritting her teeth and, without speaking, telling Thomas to just let it go.
“Are you a reader Jo? We know The Keeper is a reader.”
Tom then handed Jo one of his favorite books.
Jo looked at the cover, America’s Founding Documents. She said nothing and her silence was telling.
A cookout was planned for that afternoon, a belated Fourth of July celebration. Everyone was working hard, and in practically no time, the library was put back in ship shape order. Junior brought in the final heirloom, the finishing touch, the neatly folded American flag given to him and Bobby Ray just three months earlier during their hike to Louisville.
“I wish Bobby Ray were here to see the restoration of the library, but Doctor J says he needs his rest. Same goes for Miss Gabby.”
Then Junior laid the flag in its place of honor, next to the Jackson family bible.
“Junior, you told me all about your hike from Winchester over to Louisville, but you never mentioned anything to me about a flag.”
“Sister Jo, I didn’t mean any disrespect. This flag is very special to me and Bobby Ray. Right after we first met, over there by Winchester, I woke up the next morning looking straight down the barrel of a Winchester rifle. The old White gentleman holding that rifle took me and Bobby Ray in, fed us, and gave us some good advice. He also gave me his Daddy’s flag for safe keeping, that flag draped his Daddy’s coffin.”
Doc Pham spoke up, “His Daddy was a Marine. That Marine tossed my grandparents and my infant father onboard one of the last choppers out of Saigon.”
With all the cuts and bandages, it literally hurt Jo to smile, but a big smile came across her face.
“Everyone, just take a break, pull up a chair, sit down, relax, and let me tell you all about my Dad and his Dad’s flag.”