by Robert Boren
“Yes, and we’ve been watching the exodus of enemy fighters from the gulf coast,” Nelson said. “Did you find out if the EU Navy has nukes?”
“Still working on that,” Wallis said. “I’ve found that all the ships have the capability, but it’s a matter of routine that not all ships are armed with them.”
“We have to assume they do have them,” Nelson said.
“I think we also have to assume that any one of those smaller craft manned by Islamists could have a tactical nuke,” Gallagher said, “and they’ll have to float them to the target, but they’ll most likely be visible.”
“Yes,” Nelson said. “We need to watch for these small boats heading into any port on the gulf coast. Spread the word.”
“Will do,” Wallis said.
“Okay, is there anything else we need to discuss tonight?” Nelson asked.
“Nope,” Wallis said. “We’ve got people watching the EU Navy closely. I’ll let you know if they get on the move, or if they launch any choppers.”
“Thanks,” Nelson said.
Maria ended the call.
“All right, folks, I’m hitting the sack,” Nelson said, getting up. “I’d get to bed soon if I were you. Tomorrow will be insane.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Hendrix said.
Chapter 24 – Shore Meeting
Richardson stirred, his head pounding.
Lita woke when he tried to get up, losing his balance and falling back onto the bed. She chuckled. “I almost fell down getting to the bathroom, and by the way, the toilet isn’t so hot when we’re not level. I can smell the tank.”
“We’re at a ten-degree angle on this beach,” Richardson said. “Surprising how hard it is to walk around like this.”
“I probably slept about two hours,” Lita said, trying to get up. “What are we gonna do?”
“Wallis said there’d be a crew here this morning to check out the barge.”
“Think she’s still sea worthy?”
“That’s a good question,” Richardson said.
There was a bump in the next room, and the muffled sound of somebody cursing. Richardson and Lita glanced at each other and laughed.
“Juan Carlos fell down,” Lita whispered.
“Sounds like it,” he said. “I’m getting up. Gonna miss coffee.”
“Seriously,” Lita said. “I’ll be out in a second.”
Richardson nodded, stopping to put on his pants and shorts. The walk downhill into the stern was difficult, Richardson’s hands on the wall for most of the distance. Harley was sitting in a chair, turned to face into the upward tilt, drinking a diet cola.
“How’d you sleep?” Richardson asked. They both laughed.
“This is insane,” he said. “Amazing how much difference a few degrees make.”
“I’ll bet we’d get used to it after a while, and then have problems with level floors.”
“Doubt that,” Harley said. “What are we doing? The boat crew still showing up at about nine?”
“Far as I know,” he said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the pantry. “Damn, messy in there. Something broke.”
“Big jar of pickles,” Harley said. “Gonna be hard to get that stink out.”
“Think they’ll have to scrap this puppy?”
“Nah,” Harley said. “They’ll fix her. Wonder how many got killed across the lake when the weapon went off?”
Richardson heard somebody walking around on the rocky bank outside, and grabbed an M4 that was sitting on the table.
“Relax, that’s Brendan and Hannah,” Harley said. “They’re out there looking at the damage.”
A small engine started up, sounding like a chainsaw. “What the hell is that?” Richardson asked. He went out to the deck. Brendan was playing with the hovercraft, trying to get it moving up the bank as Hannah looked on.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” Richardson shouted.
Brendan grinned at him. “Morning, boss. Sleep well?”
“Shut up,” Richardson said, Hannah laughing at the two of them.
“This thing still works,” Brendan said, shutting down the engine. “I’m not very good at piloting it, but everything seems to be okay.”
“Well don’t drive it out over the water,” Richardson said.
“Hey, dude, what are you doing?” Juan Carlos asked, joining Richardson on the deck.
“What’s it look like?” Brendan asked. “This thing is frigging awesome.”
“What about the patrol boats, dude?”
Brendan shook his head no. “The inboard model got dragged upside down. That one’s toast. The water was bad enough, but it went up the bank that way too. The other one was dragged up on the hull. It might be fixable without too much work. Outboards were up, so they didn’t get damaged.”
“That’s amazing,” Richardson said. “You look at the barge?”
“I think it’s in pretty good shape,” Brendan said. “None of the pontoons are ruptured, from what I could see. The stringers holding them there are intact. One of the outboards has a broken keel, and all of them need new props. Might be internal damage, though. The props were stainless, so they transmitted everything through the drive train.”
“It’s easy enough to swap out outboards,” Harley said, “as long as you don’t have to pay for it.”
Juan Carlos chuckled. “That’s true, dude.”
“Anybody been on the apps this morning?” Richardson asked.
“I was just looking,” Lita said. “There’s a small group of them near Fischer, which is straight north of here.”
“Are they moving?”
“Too early to tell,” she said. “I’ll keep an eye on them. Too bad the laptop fell off that shelf when we hit. It’s not working.”
“Crap, forgot about that,” Richardson said. “Dammit.”
“Any other bad guys around?” Juan Carlos asked.
“There’s still a pretty large number along the gulf coast. They’re all at least sixty miles inland now, some of them more than that.”
“Does it look like they’re getting ready for an attack?”
“No,” Lita said. “They’re avoiding the population centers, for one thing. I’m worried about this. Glad we’re not down there. Lots of enemy ship hits.”
“They could have more of those small nukes,” Harley said.
Lita nodded. “Exactly.”
“Don’t jump to that conclusion yet,” Richardson said.
“I’m not jumping to any conclusions, I’m just worried,” Lita said. “Tell me you’re not.”
“Fair enough,” Richardson said. “You’ve got a point. Still seeing the northern movement outside Texas?”
“Yep. Lots of them in Louisiana and Mississippi. Growing number going north from the Florida panhandle into Alabama and Georgia too.”
“Hear that?” Hannah asked.
“Choppers,” Harley said. “Should we get on the mini guns?”
“It’s probably the folks Wallis was sending,” Richardson said.
“They’re coming across the water, see?” Madison said, coming out onto the stern deck with binoculars. “Who knows what kind are friendly?”
“I do,” Harley said, taking the binoculars from her. He looked. “Those are ours.”
“Good,” Hannah said. “Maybe they’ll take us off this damn beach.”
“I wouldn’t even call it a beach,” Madison said. “It’s all rocks.”
The choppers continued to approach as they watched.
“They’re gonna land up there, where it flattens out,” Lita said. One chopper slowed, banking left to avoid going right over them, then setting down where Lita had said. They watched as several men got out of the back. The other chopper stayed in the air, circling.
“Shit, that’s Director Wallis,” Harley said.
The group walked over to meet them, Wallis shaking Richardson’s hand, then the others.
“Your team did well,” Wallis said, smiling.
<
br /> “There was still a lot of damage,” Richardson said.
“True, but we saved the water, and the people below the dam,” Wallis said, “and you guys alerted us to the problem. We couldn’t stop Lewisville, unfortunately, but we have stopped the others so far.”
“Sorry about the barge,” Richardson said.
Wallis chuckled. “Are you kidding? That’s the least of my concerns.”
“What’s next?” Harley asked.
“Yeah, we gonna wait while this rig gets fixed?” Juan Carlos asked.
“We’re sending you to the gulf,” Wallis said. “It’s a dangerous mission, but we don’t have a choice at this point.”
“Oh God,” Lita said.
“I’m sorry,” Wallis said. “Millions of lives may be at stake.”
“It’s those enemy boats we’re seeing, isn’t it?” Richardson asked.
“Yes,” Wallis said, his expression grim. “We’re afraid that one or more of them might have small nukes aboard, like we saw on the Mississippi.”
“We’ll be goal-keeping again,” Brendan said.
“I beg your pardon?” Wallis asked.
Richardson smiled. “That’s what we were doing here. Playing goalie, stopping the enemy from getting to the dam with that anti-sub weapon.”
“Oh, I see,” Wallis said. “Yes, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.”
“In what?” Juan Carlos asked. “We have new patrol boats there?”
“There are three more rigs just like this one,” Wallis said, “with the same capabilities.”
“More of these barges?” Lita asked.
“Yes,” Wallis said.
“They won’t be much good if the gulf gets rough,” Harley said.
“You won’t be in the gulf, you’ll be in Galveston Bay, protecting Houston.”
“Oh, I get it,” Richardson said. “Who’s manning the other two?”
“We dug up some DPS retirees. They were already fighting with the citizens. We made them a deal.”
“Where will they be?” Richardson asked.
“One in Corpus Christi, the other in Lake Borgne,” Wallis said.
“Lake Borgne isn’t in Texas,” Lita said.
Wallis nodded. “Nope. Governor Nelson is working with the other gulf states now. Since the bad guys have been run out of the Federal Government, we’re moving some of our focus to serving the United States, instead of just Texas. New Orleans has a large population. It’s more important than the balance of the Texas gulf areas.”
“Even South Padre Island?” Lita asked.
“After the apps went wide, enemy fighters near the border have been moving south into Mexico. They left South Padre Island in a hurry.”
“I figured that was gonna happen,” Harley said. “That means we don’t need to worry as much about Big Bend on the Rio Grande.”
Wallis smiled. “Yep, we’re pulling people away from there.”
“How come you came out here personally?” Richardson asked.
“Your team has been through a lot, and this is the most dangerous mission yet. I wanted to talk to you about it in person.”
“If a nuke goes off, we’re all gonna die,” Madison said, look of resolve on her face. “That means we have to be perfect.”
“If you want to leave your women home, Richardson, we’ll understand. We’ve got others you can bring in.”
“I’m going,” Lita said. She looked at Madison and Hannah. “That doesn’t mean we all have to go.”
“Oh, please,” Hannah said. “I’m not letting Brendan out of my sight.”
“Honey, maybe it’s better that you don’t come this time,” Brendan said.
“I’m going too,” Madison said.
Juan Carlos nodded yes silently.
“You’re not going to push back at all?” Brendan asked.
“C’mon, dude, I know it won’t do any good,” Juan Carlos said.
“Glad we got that settled,” Madison said. “Do we have to drive down there?”
“Not a chance,” Wallis said. “There’s way too many enemy operatives moving away from the gulf coast now. I’m not running you through that gauntlet. You’ll be flown out.”
“When?” Richardson asked.
“Another chopper will be here in about ten minutes. Get the items you want to bring up here.”
“Should we take guns and ammo?” Harley asked.
“No need for the heavy stuff,” Wallis said. “It’s already on the new barge. You can take small arms and some ammo if it makes you feel safer.”
“We’ll do that,” Richardson said. “Just in case.”
“Good, then I’ll get out of your hair. I’ve got others to talk to. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Richardson said. “Be careful. There’s still a lot of enemy around.”
“We’re keeping pretty close track,” Wallis said. He got back into the chopper, the group watching as it took off and flew north.
“We’ll be lucky to live through this,” Richardson said. “I really wish you ladies would stay clear of this one.”
“Will you stay clear?” Lita asked.
“It’s my job,” Richardson said.
“And it’s my country, and my man,” Lita said. “End of discussion. Let’s get our stuff. Ten minutes is gonna go fast, and it’s hard to rush around on the deck of that damn barge when it’s at that angle.”
They hurried back to the boat and got to work.
Chapter 25 – Border Crossing
Jason took the wheel of the motorhome from Carrie. She was exhausted after the monotony of nighttime driving through New Mexico. Chelsea was sitting in the passenger seat now, Carrie trying to get some sleep on the sofa. The sun, still low in the eastern sky, was blazing at them as they drove.
“It’s too sunny up here,” Chelsea said.
“Look down at your book, then,” Jason said.
“Can’t I go be with mommy?”
“No, she needs her sleep,” Jason said. “Guess what?”
“What?”
Jason glanced at her and smiled. “We’ll be in Texas soon.”
“Do I get to go back to my bedroom? I miss my playhouse and my kitchen.”
“It’ll take us a little while to get to Dripping Springs, honey,” Jason said. “I don’t know what happened to our house since we left.”
“If it’s gone, will you get me a new playhouse?”
“Of course, honey,” he said. “Maybe we’ll stay at Grandpa and Grandma’s house instead.”
“That’s not in Dripping Springs?”
“No, sweetie, that’s in Fredericksburg,” Jason said, wondering if he could deal with the memories of the awful night when he found his parents.
His phone rang. He accepted the call and put it on speaker.
“Hey, brother,” Eric said, the background noise of his class C motorhome coming through.
“Hey yourself,” Jason said.
“Hi, Uncle Eric,” Chelsea said.
“Chelsea, how are you this morning?”
“I’m bored,” she said. “Daddy said we’re almost home.”
“Well, we’re almost to Texas,” Eric said. “Jason, hold the phone to your ear, okay?”
“Will do,” Jason said, fumbling with the phone, taking it off speaker and holding it to his ear, driving the motorhome with one hand.
“No fair,” Chelsea said. Jason shot her a be quiet look.
“Hear me okay?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “It’s straight for a while. Can you one-hand it?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Something’s happening, man,” Eric said. “The enemy is changing course.”
“Nearby?”
“There’s a large group heading south from Colorado,” Eric said. “They were headed into Kansas, but they turned south on Highway 287. Some of them have made it onto Highway 385. They’re moving fast.”
“You think they’re coming to Texas?”
“
They’ll at least be in Texas for a little while, since we’ve screwed up I-25 for them in New Mexico. That’s not all.”
“Oh shit,” Jason said.
“Daddy, that’s a bad word,” Chelsea said.
“Sorry, honey,” Jason said. Eric was chuckling in the background.
“Where were we?” Jason asked.
“The enemy is leaving Utah, too.”
“Capitol Reef?”
“Everywhere,” Eric said. “Some have disappeared, and some are coming southwest on Highway 12. Looks like they’re making for Arizona.”
“They might be trying to get south of the border, now that the apps are wide,” Jason said.
“We’ll need to watch what the group from Colorado does.”
“You think they might head for Dallas to aid in that battle?” Jason asked.
“Wouldn’t put it past them. If they make a turn towards the east anywhere from Highway 385, I think we can assume that they’re headed to Dallas.”
Jason started to say something, then stopped himself.
“What was that?” Eric asked.
Jason chuckled. “Almost said another bad word. We’ll just have to keep our eyes open. We’re almost to Clovis.”
“Where are we stopping tonight?”
“Wish we could just keep going, but everybody’s too tired,” Jason said. “I’m gonna suggest we get as close to Lubbock as we can, but that might be too far.”
“That’s not so bad. Kim just punched it into the map app. It’s an hour and forty minutes from Clovis.”
“Double that, given our speed,” Jason said.
“Oh yeah. A little over three hours. I think we ought to go for it.”
“Me too,” Jason said. “You need to stop in Clovis?”
“Nope, planning to gas up in Muleshoe, on Highway 84 where it crosses Highway 214.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jason said. “Anything else?”
“Nope,” Eric said. “I’ll spread the word about this conversation.”
“Thanks, I’m by myself right now.”
“I’m here,” Chelsea said.
“Yes, I know, sweetie,” he said, “but I’m talking about grownups.”
Eric chuckled. “Talk to you later.”
“All right,” Jason said, ending the call. He put his phone back on the dash.
“Did he tell you something scary?” Chelsea asked.