by Ricky Sides
The police lieutenant bristled at Jim's statement, and he said, “Now you listen, and you listen good. I would’ve probably done the same thing you did today. Don't talk to me as if you believe I support the criminals instead of the victims.”
Jim nodded his head and said, “I guess you would at that.” Then he relaxed in his chair and asked, “How is Margaret doing?”
The lieutenant said, “She’s going to be ok. She’s been through a lot today. Her sister came to pick her up, but she refused to leave without seeing you. She’s waiting outside. If you like, I can give you a few minutes alone.”
Jim nodded his head and said, “I'd appreciate that, Lieutenant. I really would.”
The lieutenant got up and left the small interrogation room. A few seconds later, Margaret came walking into the room. She closed the door and walked over to the table.
Jim asked, “Are you ok? Did they give you a hard time?”
“I'm fine now,” she said, but then she looked down at the floor and hesitated. Jim knew that something was bothering her. She could never look at him face to face when she had something to say that she didn’t think he’d like. In the past, when she’d done this, he had encouraged her to go ahead and say what was on her mind, but this time he waited silently for her to speak. He thought he knew what she was going to say.
Finally, Margaret couldn’t bear the uncomfortable silence any longer and she looked up into Jim's eyes. For a brief moment, she hesitated again. When she spoke, her voice trembled with emotion. “I want you to know that I’m grateful to you for saving me from those men in the alley.”
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “It was the least I could do. They attacked you to get even with me for breaking their arms and killing their leader. You wouldn't have been in that predicament if not for me.”
“It wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do. If you had done anything else, you would have violated your own personal code of ethics. I didn't really understand that at first, but I’m beginning to get it.”
Jim nodded his approval of her deductions and said, “Now it's time for you to go to your sister’s, and you feel like you're running out on me. Is that it?”
Margaret looked down at her hands that she was wringing in her lap. She stopped wringing them and looked at Jim. When she spoke, it was with a quite dignity. “I’m grateful for the time we had together, but I think it's time we went our separate ways.”
He stood up and walked around the table to Margaret's side. He held out his hand to her and she took it after a moment’s hesitation. He gently helped her to her feet and said, “Thank you for being honest with me.”
He leaned forward, kissed the back of her hand, and said, “I want to thank you for yesterday and last night. The time we spent together meant a lot to me.”
Margaret looked down at her hand that he was still holding. Strong emotions played across her face and for just a moment, she almost changed her mind.
Jim saw the expression on her face and recognized it for what it was. He said gently in a low tone of voice, “You made the right decision. Right now, you are too vulnerable to get involved in a new relationship. You need time to get over Bob before you make any lasting commitments.”
Margaret smiled at him and said, “Thank you for understanding. I was afraid that you wouldn't.” She walked into his arms and they shared one last embrace.
A few moments later, Margaret pulled out of his arms, turned and walked to the door. At the door, she paused for a second. Jim saw her shoulders shake and knew that she was crying. He started toward her but stopped as she opened the door and walked out into the hall. She closed the door without looking back.
Jim sighed and sat down heavily in the chair. His eyes misted over with unshed tears and he suddenly realized that in the two days they’d spent together, he had come to feel very strongly for Margaret. He was asking himself if he loved her when Lieutenant Richards came back into the room.
Ben walked over and sat down in his chair across the table from Jim. ”I just talked to the Captain and he said to release you. So, you are free to go.” Then he noticed the emotional state that Jim was in and said, “Come on with me and I’ll get you processed out as quickly as I can and maybe you can catch her.”
Jim sadly shook his head and said, “I don't think she wants me around her anymore.”
“That's not what I think,” Ben said coldly. Then he stared hard at Jim and said, “It's none of my business anyway. It is not unusual to see men taking advantage of defenseless women these days. It's not against the law so there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Jim returned the lieutenant's cold stare with one of his own. He said, “To tell you the truth, you're right. It is none of your business. However, just to set the record straight, I’ll tell you this much. Until yesterday, I barely knew Margaret. I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again. I have my own life to live, just as she does. She broke off the relationship, I didn’t. If it’s our destiny to meet again, we will. If it isn’t, then we won’t. Either way, I don't need advice from you about my love life.”
Then Jim stood up and said, “I think you said I was going to be released?”
The lieutenant nodded and said, “Come with me.”
Jim followed the police officer out of the room and went to a desk in another room. He signed some papers and recovered his property. He examined the pistol and discovered that it had been unloaded. “Don't load the pistol in the station,” Ben warned.
Jim nodded his understanding and said, “If that's all you want, I'll be leaving now.”
“One more thing,” said the lieutenant. “I wouldn't count on getting away with any more killings in this town. From now on we’ll be watching you real close,” he warned.
“That's good, Ben. I'll sleep better at night knowing that I have my own personal policemen watching over me while I rest.” Then Jim smiled at the officer and walked out of the police station.
Lieutenant Richards looked amused as he watched Jim walk away. He wished Jim well, but he’d been ordered to say the things that he’d just said.
Chapter 9
In his newest office, Pete Damroyal sat behind a desk and read a report that had been compiled in the last three days. He put the report aside and leaned back in his seat. There was no longer any doubt in his mind. He now knew that in three days or less the world would be plunged into a nuclear war.
“Damn,” he cursed. The situation was understandable though. A rogue nuclear power perceived this to be their best opportunity to strike at America. The American intelligence agencies had found out about the planned attack and the Pentagon had decided to launch a first strike, double agents on both sides of the war had passed on this information and now other nations were choosing sides in the coming conflict. In disgust, Pete realized that just about the only people in the world unaware of the coming conflict were the civilians.
Pete had gotten hold of this information because a military courier had been attacked and killed by a band of marauders. His own team had heard the sounds of the battle while out on a routine patrol. By the time they arrived on the scene the courier was dead. They killed the marauders in the battle that ensued. A search of the bodies produced the documents that the courier had been transporting to an air force general.
Now Pete was worried. Their underground shelters were well stocked but he doubted they had enough supplies to stay underground as long as they would need to in the event of a nuclear exchange.
Sighing, Pete yelled for his two aides and they appeared immediately. He issued the orders that he had known he would eventually be forced to issue. “Assemble all the men in the central chamber. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Tonight we have to secure and bring into our retreat enough food and water to last at least six months.” The two aids left immediately to issue the orders as instructed.
Pete looked down at his desk and cursed again. He knew that up until now they had been very lucky. None of the men of his survival group h
ad been killed. He feared that tonight would be different. He knew that it would be almost impossible to pull off his plan without losing several men. Yet the supplies had to be appropriated. Without them, none of his people could survive the coming nuclear war. So, for the good of the many, a few might have to sacrifice their lives. But knowing this didn’t make it any easier to accept. Therefore, he was troubled as he headed to the central chamber.
When he came within sight of the main chamber, he could see his men milling about making hasty preparations to leave on the mission. He walked directly to his two lieutenants and said, “Call the men to attention.”
One of the lieutenants stepped forward and yelled, “Attention!”
The assembled men in the cavern stopped talking and fell into strict military formation. Pete stepped forward and addressed the men. He informed them of what had been learned in recent days. He then informed them that the only way they would be able to survive, was to secure the necessary food and water to supplement what they had already stored. Then he explained his plans to secure those much needed supplies. After he had explained the plan thoroughly, he said, “It’s only fair to warn you that this is a desperate plan. There will be casualties. I don’t see any way around that. However, the facts are clear. If we don’t secure the supplies we need, we’ll be forced to go out into the hard radiation after the war to secure safe supplies. I’m sorry, but at this time there aren’t any safer options available.
Pete looked at the men then and gambled. He said, “Since this mission is so dangerous I would prefer to take volunteers. If I can't get enough volunteers then I’ll have to select others to fill in the ranks.”
There were one hundred-three men in that chamber. Pete and his two lieutenants were the first three to raise their hands. All but three men quickly joined them. When those three men realized they were the only ones who had not raised their hands they volunteered. Pete made a mental note that Reggie was one of the three who were reluctant to volunteer. He also noted the other two men and told himself that when time permitted he needed to check out their relationship with Reggie. He had a feeling that they were going cause trouble someday.
Pete looked at the men with pride. They had all volunteered despite his warning of the danger involved. He said, “I need ten men to stay here to guard the women, children, and strategic supplies.”
This time Reggie and his two companions were the first to volunteer. Pete noted that and made sure that they weren’t selected for that critical detail. This was not out of spite or malice. He simply didn’t fully trust them.
After the details were all assigned, he once again addressed the men. “You all know what to do. Remember, we cannot fire on the guards tonight. They’re just doing their jobs. That’s why we’ll only be using tranquilizer darts on this mission. We leave in thirty minutes.”
***
Outside the shelter, Pete looked at the men in his squad. Their job was to secure the food the group needed to survive and then return to the base without leading anyone to it.
Pete's plan was simple. A major food depot had been set up by the government to distribute food to those in need. Unfortunately, after that depot had been set up, the bureaucrats promptly forgot that it was there and were not using it at all to provide food for the people of the city. There were dozens of confiscated eighteen-wheelers parked there, fueled and ready to roll with full loads of food. It was his plan to take several of those trucks. Some would be left in the city for the citizens there. Others would be taken to their shelter and stored for the group.
The only bad part of the plan was the armed security guards that guarded the depot. They were rented out from a local security firm to provide security. They were reputed to be very well trained and quite dangerous.
Pete raised his hand to give the signal to proceed.
***
Three hours later, Pete and his lieutenants were supervising the unloading of five truckloads of food into their shelter. They had saved the bureaucrats the trouble of remembering to distribute the food. Pete was happy with the success of the mission. They’d been lucky that there had been no casualties on either side during the mission.
The guards had been tranquilized with a harmless drug that knocked them out for a couple of hours. They would have a hell of a headache when they woke up, but that would go away after about an hour.
They’d managed to get fifteen trucks out of the depot. Ten had been left at various areas around the city with their back doors open so that the civilians could help themselves to the food when they were noticed the next day. There was no doubt they would be noticed because the trucks had been left in close proximity to the refugee centers set up by the city. Several police precincts had been called to report that they had better get cops there to handle security because when the food was found the people might riot if no authorities were there to handle the distribution. The police were outraged that the supplies from a local depot had been withheld from the hungry populace, and were glad to assist in the distribution. Hell, their families were hungry too.
The police demands to know who was calling and how they’d known about the food went unanswered. Pete had not intended that their source for the information be revealed because that source was a United States Senator whose grandson was a member of the group. The grandson had overheard the Senator having a heated debate with the bureaucracy about the food as he tried to get it distributed to those who needed it.
Pete was becoming a bit concerned about the other group, which had been sent to secure the water. Their mission should have been the easiest. He also realized that Reggie and his two friends were on that mission. That made him even more uneasy.
He was about to order a search party to go out and check on the missing men when the door to the retreat opened and they came in.
A few minutes later the sergeant in charge of that mission came up to Pete and said, “Captain Damroyal, we accomplished our mission. We managed to secure ten truckloads of water.”
“Good work, Sergeant Jackson. That water is going to mean the difference between life and death in the months ahead.”
Pete noticed the expression on the sergeant's face and realized that something was wrong. He asked, “Did something go wrong, Sergeant?”
The sergeant's face twisted into a grimace and he said, “Sir, can we have a word in private?”
“Come with me, Sergeant. The lieutenants can handle the storage process. Make sure the trucks are abandoned well away from here,” he instructed the lieutenants.
Without another word, Pete led the sergeant through the labyrinth of tunnels that comprised the primary shelter. The shelter was an abandoned mine that had played out. Later, during the cold war, the city had purchased it to use as a civil defense shelter. The city government had gotten millions in government assistance to convert it into a safe shelter. The corrupt city government had promptly spent half the money on the renovations and redirected the other half to their own pockets and pet projects that would earn them kickbacks.
When the corruption was about to be exposed by a reporter, pressure was applied on the city Engineer who was forced to declare his findings. The site was unstable and in the interests of public safety it would have to be sealed up. Pete had discovered the shelter as a teenager and explored it. Later, when he had returned to Chicago, he remembered the shelter. The group had quietly made plans to move into and use the partially completed refuge should it ever become necessary to do so.
Pete walked into his office and sat down. The sergeant refused the chair he offered and said, “I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. We didn't lose any men on the mission, though we do have two with some minor wounds.”
“Well Sergeant, I'd call that a great success then.”
“Well the bad news is that on the way out of the area I found a kid who’d been murdered. Someone had cut off his ears.” Looking up at Pete with horror-filled eyes he said, “Pete, I think one of our men did it.”
Pete s
at stunned by the revelation. Sergeant Jackson was a qualified non-com. If he suspected that one of their men had done it then he had very good reason or he would never make such an accusation. “Tell me what happened,” he said.
“We were on our way out with the trucks. I was the last man out of the area so I stopped to check on the guards we had tranquilized. I know the drug was supposed to be safe but I just had to know for certain.”
Pete nodded his understanding of that concern. He told the sergeant that he had done the same thing at the food depot.
“Well, two of the guards were fine but the third guard had his throat slit and his ears had been cut off.”
Pete stood up then with a cold look of anger on his face. “Who do you think did it?” he asked.
Shaking his head sadly, Sergeant Jackson said, “I wish like hell I knew. It could have been half the men on the mission. Any of them would have had the time. The rest of the men were on the other side of the water facility.”
“Did the kid wound any of our men?” asked Pete thinking that maybe one of the wounded men had killed him.
“No sir. We took the kid from behind with a tranquilizer dart. He never even saw any of us.”
“Very well, Sergeant, make a list of all the men that would’ve had an opportunity to commit the murder and mutilation. Do it now while it is fresh in your mind. Moreover, Sergeant, you can’t hold yourself responsible for what happened. You didn't sanction it, or approve of the crime.”
“I know that, sir, but I am the one who led the mission.”
“And I ordered it, so it was my fault?”
“No, Pete, I never said that. My god man, I’m not implying that. You can't be responsible for the actions of everyone under your leadership!”