by Ricky Sides
Finally, she broke it down simply by pointing out that every facet of the ship was leading edge technology. The propulsion system for the ship was electromagnetic. It had no wheels because it didn’t travel on the surface. It traveled above the surface. The ship didn’t use normal fuel at all but rather it operated on advanced solar collectors and batteries that were a decade ahead of anything else in the private sector. With an expression of awe in her voice Patricia had said, “The ship can run on starlight power alone if necessary though granted to a diminished capacity.”
He dozed off and on the rest of that day. By sundown the next day, he was able to get up and walk around without feeling too much pain. He knew that the next day they’d need to get on the road again. They’d already spent too much time at this location. They had been lucky that no more Marauders had found them. He knew it wouldn’t last.
That night he told Patricia that it was time for them to move on. She’d argued that he wasn’t well enough to be traveling yet, but he countered that if a group of Marauders caught them here, it wouldn’t make any difference one way or the other.
They ate and then they talked well into the night.
Chapter 28
Jim carefully picked his way through the armory, but there wasn’t much left in it. He assumed that the soldiers had been issued their weapons and ammunition prior to going inside the shelters. If that were the case, they were either destroyed or buried. Even if they were intact inside those shelters, there was no way to retrieve them. They were buried beneath tons of concrete, rock, and earth.
Jim did find two forty-millimeter mortars and two cases of ammunition for them. He also found two cases of grenades that had not been removed from the armory. Jim was grateful that the safe door that secured the armory had been left open. There was no way he could have opened the one-foot thick steel door on his own. He did ponder the oversight but not too much. His brother’s call to him indicated that he was aware of what was about to happen. That meant the chances were good that it was common knowledge among the troops and they would have been in a hurry to get to the shelters.
The search for usable materials took a new turn when Jim went into the supply room that housed uniforms and other miscellaneous materials. He found several pairs of boots that were in his size and several more that would fit Lina.
In the end, Jim stripped that supply room of all of the gear that it contained. He just had a feeling that the things would come in handy.
He was surprised when he went into the food storage room. He couldn’t understand why so much food was still here. If he’d been in charge, all of the food would have been taken into the shelter. Then again, the shelters would have been well stocked so there wouldn’t have been much point in taking the time to take the extra food into the shelters. In addition, when you are waiting for someone to hit you with a nuclear weapon, you really don’t want to trust them to fire on schedule. A few minutes early could make the difference between death and survival. Besides, the army would have exited the shelters as soon as possible to restore order and guard against any possible invasion force.
It took two days for Jim to load the truck. He’d encountered a serious problem. The truck simply wouldn’t hold it all. Finally, he had offloaded anything that could be found in other locations closer to his home. He had then reorganized everything inside the trailer. It was hard work but finally he managed to get everything that he considered critical loaded into the truck. He even had the space to replace a portion of the items that he’d unloaded.
The fifth night they spent at Fort Polk found them both exhausted from their work. Jim had found a good truck for Lina. He had worked with her and taught her how to handle the truck and then they’d loaded it with supplies for her. They’d argued several times the past two days, but Jim couldn’t get her to listen to reason. She insisted that her mind was made up and that Jim had better accept that fact. When they left, she planned to follow him as far as Monroe and then she was going to head out for Texas. She wanted to spend some more time seeing the country before winter set in.
He tried in vain to convince her that a lone woman would find things very difficult these days. She had countered that he was being chauvinistic, and he’d readily agreed with her, but he stated that he was also right.
In the end, he had been able to convince her to at least permit him teach her to use a rifle and a side arm. He had pointed out that in a week he could teach her to use both efficiently and effectively. At least then, she wouldn’t be totally defenseless.
They stayed another week at Fort Polk and Jim taught her all of the basics about firing a weapon. He taught her several techniques with a rifle. Jim taught her basic sniper techniques so that she would know how to lie in wait for an enemy if the need arose. He taught her how to pin down a target, using rapid-fire shooting techniques, and he taught her how to point shoot by teaching her to fire accurately with the rifle or pistol without using the sights. As it turned out, Lina was a gifted point shooter. She was so good at it that she challenged Jim to a contest at the end of her training. He won but it hadn’t been an easy victory. Oddly enough, she’d excelled at that shooting style, but only after resisting it at first.
This was a difficult time for Lina. It was the most difficult skill for her to acquire, because she didn’t believe she could master the technique. Time after time Jim patiently told her, “Concentrate on looking at your target. As soon as the rifle butt hits your shoulder you should fire.” Yet she always seemed to pause too long to suit Jim.
Finally, on the second day of the training she’d angrily said, “If you think you can do any better, then why don’t you just show me?”
Jim had smiled and walked down to the bank of dirt they were using for a backstop. Lina had been shooting at a man shaped silhouette target. He took it down and set up three cans he’d saved from their dinner the night before. He walked back to Lina and she handed him the rifle.
Jim stood facing the targets. He was holding the rifle across his body in a loose-gripped ported arms stance. He smiled at Lina and then once more faced the target.
Lina was waiting with a smile on her face. She was glad that she’d goaded him into demonstrating the technique he was teaching her. She was even happier about the fact that he’d been so cocky as to replace the silhouette with the tin cans. She was sure he would’ve been able to hit her target, but she was convinced that hitting the cans with the technique would prove impossible. They were simply too small to hit with the technique he was trying to teach her.
When Jim slapped the rifle to his shoulder and fired instantly the smile froze on her face. In astonishment, she watched the can on the left leap into the air. The expression of disbelief was still on her face when he dropped the rifle to his side. He was using a one handed grip on the rifle with the barrel pointing at the ground.
In a blur of motion, Jim snapped the rifle to his shoulder and the center can went sailing through the air. It almost seemed to her that Jim was firing a fraction of a second before the stock touched his shoulder.
This time, he let the rifle rest on his shoulder with the barrel pointing behind him. Again, he was using a one handed grip on the weapon and the rifle was upside down on his shoulder.
“Oh he’s got to be kidding!” she thought.
With a smooth rolling motion, Jim snapped the rifle down off his shoulder. As soon as the butt of the rifle hit his shoulder, the rifle fired and the remaining can flew up into the air. What he did next took Lina completely by surprise. Instead of ending the demonstration at that point, he dropped the rifle to hip level and fired again striking the can before it could hit the ground.
Handing the rifle back to Lina he said, “That is what you’re going to be able to do, once you master this style of shooting.” Then he added, “I’ve already proven to you that I can do it, so maybe now you can concentrate on improving your own skills, rather than goading me into demonstrating mine.”
After that, Lina never again complaine
d to Jim about the lessons. She now knew that if Jim said something was possible, then she could do it. By the end of the last day of training, Jim was pleased with her shooting. He told her that now at least she would be able to defend herself if she were attacked. Frowning he’d immediately amended that to, “When you are attacked.”
This had a sobering effect on her and she asked, “Do you mean that you believe I will definitely be attacked.”
“It’s just a matter of time as far as I’m concerned,” He had angrily continued. “Why the hell do you think I’ve worked so hard to see to it you learn everything you can about firearms?”
Lina stood up and said, “Jim, I don’t want to argue with you tonight. We’re leaving tomorrow aren’t we?”
Jim nodded his head. “Yes, I think we should,” he said. “We’ve been lucky so far. I’m surprised that no one has come around to see what all of the shooting was about.”
“I want to spend our last night here without any bickering, okay?”
Jim sighed and said, “I know you probably think that I’ve been a real shithead this past week, but your survival depends on you learning the skills I was trying to teach you.”
Grinning at him she said, “Actually, I think you’ve been great about everything. You helped me get another vehicle and enough supplies to see me through several months. You’ve taught me to shoot better than I ever thought I’d be able to, and you’ve taught me about first aid.”
“No, you haven’t been a shithead. You’ve been a good friend and I thank you.”
***
The next morning, Jim and Lina left Fort Polk. Both of their vehicles were so heavily loaded that Jim decided if they should encounter an obstacle on the road they would need to backtrack and find a safe detour, rather than attempt to go off road and risk getting stuck in the softer shoulder of the road.
During the long days of driving, Jim and Lina spent several hours a day talking on their C.B. radios. Jim was glad he’d taken the time to install one in the truck for Lina. He used their time on the radios to teach her as much as he could about tactics, sizing up opponents and knowing when it was best to run away from a fight.
Each night they discussed survival tactics in a myriad of scenarios. They talked, laughed, and kidded each other a lot. Both of them knew that their remaining time together would end very soon. They also knew that once they parted, they would probably never see each other again.
On their last night together, Lina went out of her way to prepare a special supper for Jim. Then she had talked to him for hours about her plans. Jim listened attentively to her plans and from time to time offered a suggestion. When he did so Lina listened carefully and said she would try to remember his advice, should the situation in question ever arise.
There was still much Lina needed to learn, but she now had the basics and Jim was confident she had a fighting chance to survive. He told her as much that night and she thanked him for caring enough about her situation to help her.
When they finally went to sleep, they slept like babies. They were totally at peace with themselves. Neither felt any guilt at their parting. Both felt a sadness that they would never meet again, but deep down in their hearts they knew it was probably better this way. Though they were genuinely fond of each other, they weren’t in love with each other.
The next day they went their separate ways at Highway 20, in Monroe. Lina turned west and Jim turned east.
They continued to talk for a while on the radio. Just before they were out of range, Jim said, “Lina, I want you to know that it was nice having you around. I’m going to miss you.”
“I miss you already, Jim,” replied Lina. “But I hear the road calling me. I’ve got to move on and see what’s on the other side of the hill.”
Their conversation took on a lighter tone after that. For a few more minutes, they talked about things in general and then Jim could no longer pick up her transmissions.
Chapter 29
Pete walked wearily through the tunnel that led to his office. Beside him walked Bill Young and several guards. When they went into Pete’s office, they sat down to a lengthy debriefing.
“We were beginning to think that you weren’t coming back,” said Bill Young. “It’s been almost a month since we last heard from you.”
Pete nodded and explained, “I wanted to stay out long enough to kill Reggie.”
“Did you get him?” Bill asked.
Pete shook his head and said, “I shot him two weeks ago. Bloodied him good from the amount of blood I found, but he got away. I haven’t been able to find any sign of him since.”
“Maybe he left the city,” suggested Bill.
Pete shook his head and said, “I don’t think so. I think he is laying low and giving himself a chance to heal.”
Pete angrily smashed his fist against the top of his desk and said, “I almost had him but he slipped through my fingers.”
The men in the room knew that Pete would never truly rest until he’d killed Reggie. Only Bill Young understood that it was more than the rapes and murders Reggie had committed that had Pete so angry. Bill knew that Pete held himself responsible for the man’s skill. After all, he’d taught him almost everything he knew and as it turned out, he’d trained a monster.
Pete stood up and said, “I didn’t come back to discuss Reggie with you gentlemen. I came back to inform you that in three days our shelter will be attacked.”
This information stunned the people in the room and they all started to ask questions at once. Pete held up his hands to silence the men.
He explained, “I heard rumors that a large band of Marauders was being brought together to attack us. I investigated the rumor. Posing as a Marauder myself, I made contact with the outfit being assembled so I know for a fact that the rumor is true.”
“Is Reggie the man who is recruiting the Marauders?” asked Bill.
“No, he isn’t, but he is indirectly responsible for the pending attack.”
“Okay, now I’m getting confused,” Bill said.
“Reggie has been going all over town talking to people and telling them about us. He’s telling them that we have tons of food and medicine down here. He also told them about our armory of weapons but claimed the leaders of the group didn’t trust the rest, so most of the weapons remain locked up and out of the hands of the people in the shelter. In short he’s making us look ripe for the picking.”
“What do you want us to do?” asked Bill.
“First, I want all of the entrances sealed and I don’t just mean locked. I want them sealed tight. I don’t want a fly to be able to get in here by tomorrow night.”
Bill nodded his head in agreement and said, “That should be easy enough to accomplish. What else do you want us to do?”
“I want new tunnels dug to the surface for escape routes. I want them to come out in places of concealment. Use the maps and charts that we prepared two months ago, just in case something like this happened.”
Bill nodded his head and said, “That will probably take two weeks to a month if we work around the clock.”
Pete sighed and said, “Get a crew working on it at once. I don’t like the idea of us being trapped in here.”
Bill opened the door and summoned a guard. He quietly issued the orders that would get one of the tunnels started immediately. After the guard left to get the work started, Bill asked, “Is there anything else?”
“Yes there is. I want all of the water transferred over to the main complex. When that is accomplished, I want the water supply building collapsed. I also want the connecting tunnel collapsed.”
Pete sat back in his chair and said, “Make no mistake about it, gentlemen, we are about to be faced with our toughest survival situation to date. If the invaders compromise just one of our entrances, we’ll all die here. No matter how good we are, we’ll inevitably fall to their superior numbers. Oh, we’d kill hundreds of them, but we’d still die in the end.”
“Is it that bad, Pete?�
�� asked Bill.
“People are starving up there. A hungry man will do things that a brave man would shy away from,” Pete said.
Bill nodded his understanding and asked one last question. “What about Reggie? Do we just forget about him?”
Pete leaned forward and stared at Bill for several seconds before he answered him. When he did speak, his voice held a certainty to it that made all of the men in the room believe he meant what he was saying when he said, “I’ll never forget Reggie. I’ve seen too many of his victims dead in the streets above us. I won’t forget what he’s done to those people, nor will I forget what he’s done to our people.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. His face betrayed a deep sorrow when he said, “But for the good of the group, we have to set aside plans to deal with Reggie until the safety of the group as a whole is no longer an issue. So yeah, for the time being Reggie will have to wait.”
***
The underground base was a beehive of activity for the next several days. Men and women worked long hard hours to seal the base and prepare for the siege they would have to endure.
The children even helped wherever they could. They carried food and water to the men and women who were working in the tunnels.
Pete was supervising the sealing of the passageways. He wanted to make sure it would be impossible for the Marauders to dig them out. He ensured this by rigging explosive charges in the tunnels. As a section of the tunnel was collapsed, he rigged his charges. He alternated the distances between the charges, so that the Marauders wouldn’t be able to count on using measurements to avoid the next trap by detouring around set distances. If the Marauders were patient enough and willing to work hard enough to try to dig out one of the tunnels, they would get a nasty surprise for their efforts.