The Horse Soldier: Beginnings Series Book 10

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Fuck them if they don’t like me.”

  Dean laughed. “See, that’s sort of the attitude I need you to take but only against me. As far as Beginnings is concerned, I betrayed them I don’t want people looking at you and thinking, ‘ok, Dean did it so when is Ellen going to turn?’ Understand.”

  “Yes.” She spoke in a low whisper. “You have put so much thought into this.”

  “How could I not? I’m leaving my home, my children, the woman I love all for . . .”

  Ellen had to interrupt the serious moment with a snicker. “All for a man you’ve done nothing but fight with for seven years.”

  The corner of Dean’s mouth raised and so did his eyebrow. “Hey, you’re right. What the hell am I doing this for?” he joked, scooted closer to Ellen, and pulled her to him.

  “For normalcy again.”

  Dean stared out to Brian’s grave. “With all that’s gone on, that could never happen but we can try. We can try.”

  Ellen rested her head on Dean’s shoulder. They stayed there for a little bit more before returning back to their work.

  ^^^^

  “Now see. That just don’t seem fair.” Marv, the part time security guard, drove the Jeep in toward sector thirty-two, the area located on the cliff behind the under developed section. “How can Ben from fabric have gotten Neville points?”

  “I’m telling you,” Dan radioed him back. “He pricked his finger trying to free Todd’s shirt from the sewing machine and he got points for acts of heroism and getting injured.”

  “Oh that is so lame,” Marv bitched.

  “Why are you griping? You’re getting points for going out there. You got pulled in the lottery.”

  “True. But still, Ben is right up there near Robbie and you. I’m telling you he bribes Trish.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes way. Did you see that new shirt she wore? It was ruffled like Neville’s. She said she made it.”

  “How do you know she didn’t?” Dan asked.

  “Please,” Marv scoffed. “You’ve seen Jeff’s uniform when she sewed the button on his cover. They were crooked when he fastened it up.”

  “True.”

  “And I’m here.” Marv turned off the Jeep. “Be back in ten.”

  “Hey, when you head into that field, watch out for the killer pigs.”

  Marv laughed. “Uh!” He screamed. “Joking.” He turned off his radio and hooked it onto his belt. “Here piggy, piggy.” He amused himself, heading into the field, his short body lost in the high grass “Oink. Oink.” He snorted a few times. “This little piggy went to market.” He slapped his own leg in such hysterics. “Wait, here’s one. Little pigs, little pigs let me come . . .” Marv stopped walking, stopped talking when he heard the shuffling of grass. One quick movement of the weeds and he jolted his body to the sound. “Hello?” Another sound and Marv saw the top of the grass sway. He lifted the tranquilizer rifle, turned slowly, and walked backwards to the Jeep. He hadn’t taken two or three steps when he watched the grass in the field move as if a wind picked up and touched only the brush. Faster he moved backwards reaching for his radio. The moment he reached to press in the button and bring it to his mouth was the moment he heard the squeal. “Shit. There are pigs up here. Son of a . . .”

  A swishing of the grass. A single high cry squeal. Marv turned to run and then he . . . disappeared with a painful scream into the high thick grass.

  ^^^^

  With a wide grin and a cigarette clenched between his teeth, Joe warmly shook Hal’s hand and gripped his son’s arm upon Hal’s approach to the utility buildings. “Goddamn, I hope I never lose this feeling when I see you.”

  “Hey Dad.” Hal leaned down and kissed Joe on the cheek. “How’s the last day going?”

  “Smooth. No problems. Let’s go into my office.” Joe pointed the way. “Did you bring those men?”

  “You know it. Danny all ready?”

  “He’s getting things together.” Joe opened his office door. “Supplies and such. He’s gonna set up mini tracking but it’s not going to be linked to us yet. At least they’ll see trouble coming ahead of time and they can give us a call.” Joe walked behind his desk. “Sit down.”

  “Thanks.” Hal smiled and took a seat.

  “Jess told me to ask you about those Bowman updates for our newspaper.”

  “I have them.” Hal patted his chest. “So what is this ‘Beginnings Day’ event I was asked if I was attending?”

  “Sort of like our community Thanksgiving. It’s a big party, first Monday in October.”

  “And they’re all getting ready now?”

  “What can I say? They’re party morons. They have nothing better to do.” Joe leaned back. “So how long am I graced with my son’s presence?”

  “I’m leaving in the morning. I don’t want to uh . . . use up any reasons that I’ll need to be here for when we start prepping for the Frank rescue.”

  “Valid point. So are you staying at the Comfort Inn tonight.”

  “Yep. Dean and Ellen’s house. What time is the party?”

  “What party?” Joe asked.

  “Your retirement party?”

  “Hell.” Joe waved his hand. “I’m not having a party.”

  “Dad, you mean you’re going out quietly?”

  “Pausing quietly. I’ll be back, trust me. I’m not allowing anyone to throw me a party. Christ, I hated in the old world when you would take a guy out to lunch for his last day, everyone pitches in gets him a gift, and he changes his mind. Nope, rather just be quiet until I come back.”

  “How do you think Henry will handle the leadership position?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Joe said. “I’m around and when I am not, Robbie is. It should be smooth. Now . . . enough catching up. Business. What do you have for me about the savages?”

  “You aren’t gonna like it.”

  ‘Try me.”

  “The maps and reports are with my things, but in a nutshell,” Hal began to explain, “there are two bigger ones. One in Wyoming, housing about a hundred savages. The other is about three hundred miles north west of here in Canada. It’d really big, Dad.”

  “How big?”

  “Three hundred maybe. My scouts said they go in and out of there so much it was hard to keep count.”

  “Any signs of movement?” Joe asked Hal.

  “None, but . . . how long till the warm weather sets in . . .”

  “And they migrate.”

  “Exactly.” Hal pointed. “Question. Will they make Beginnings their destination or Wyoming?”

  “The Wyoming camp could be their scout party moving ahead on a planned trail to somewhere.” Joe shrugged.

  “Are they that smart?”

  Joe nodded. “Smart enough to take out our tracking. If they’re smart enough to do that, my main concern lies with then breaking through the tracking and making it to our perimeters. I can very easily see four of them dying at the beams while the others race through.”

  “Is your man power is good to take them out?”

  “Our man power is very good. We’ll keep an eye on them through surveillance and start watching for movement.”

  “Excellent.” Hal looked at his watch. “Well I better get going to meet Danny. We’re supposed to take the men and supplies down to Miles City.”

  Joe stood up. “You’ll be by for dinner, right?”

  Hal grinned and his eyes closed slightly.

  “What?” Joe looked at him oddly.

  “Just hearing you say that makes me remember how many times you would say that to me when I was a teenager or in the service and stationed close to home. You’d say it every time you’d see me. God, you used to make me feel guilty for thinking about turning you down.”

  “Do I still?”

  “Hell, yeah.” Hal moved to the door. “And I will be by for dinner. Thanks, Dad.”

  Joe walked around his desk, leaned on it and, with a look of pride on his face, he watched Hal leave
. Momentarily Joe pondered why he felt so good when he saw Hal and why he liked his son so much. Hal was doing well. He built a strong community. Hal was strong and had qualities that Joe admired. Joe decided he was going to enjoy the feel of basking in his son’s achievements because he realized that, in time, the ‘feel good’ would fade. ‘Captain Slagel’ or not, Hal was definitely one of his sons and it wouldn’t be long until Hal annoyed Joe just as much as the other two sons he saw all the time.

  ^^^^

  “Survival training?” There was so much doubt in Leonard’s voice as he asked Frank.

  “Yeah. Survival training.” Frank rocked back in his chair.

  “For this long?”

  Frank laughed. “Well, you can’t call it surviving if you go out there for an afternoon.”

  “Where did they go?”

  Holding up a finger Frank leaned into the desk. “I gave them minimal supplies and took them uh . . . about seventy-five miles south.”

  “Lt. Merrick agreed to this?” Leonard asked.

  “Asked for it. He loved the idea.” Frank closed his eyes and twitched his head to the right. “Gosh, I miss him.”

  “It doesn’t worry you that they haven’t returned?”

  “Um . . . no. I sent a secret scout after them. They’re fine.”

  “Can I speak to this scout.”

  “Secret scout.”

  “Yes. Can I speak to him?” Leonard questioned.

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s the secret scout. Sorry.” Frank cupped his hands behind his head and leaned back. “You know if they aren’t back in a week, I’ll go get them.”

  “And what of . . .” Leonard reviewed his papers. “Lieutenant Harris.”

  “What about him?”

  “Is he on survival training?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Lt. Harris went on this seventy-five mile survival training mission?”

  “No man is immune to it,” Frank stated with fact.

  “And they must survive in the wilderness then walking back?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if they run into trouble?”

  “Survival training.” Frank had all the answers.

  “You expect Lt. Harris to keep up?”

  “If he wants to be an officer he will.”

  Leonard seemed a bit disturbed. “Colonel Slagel, Lieutenant Harris was given the ranking for his brains, obviously not his skills considering he has a prostheses for a right leg.”

  Maybe Frank’s lip shuddered a little, but he was certain Leonard didn’t see his shock or hiding of laughter. “Lt. Harris insisted on going.”

  “I see. When does the next batch of survival trainees go out?”

  Frank raised one eyebrow, looking at Leonard, and imagining him in the large hole he and Richie dug for those ‘survival trainees’ . “Um soon.”

  “Well hold off on them until the regiment of CME’s arrive. The president is sending a hundred, maybe two, to serve as camp guards while you train the other men for strategical purposes.” Leonard began to leave.

  “Wait,” Frank called out. “I have this amnesia thing. CME’s?”

  Leonard hesitated in his walk out. “Cyborg mechanically enhanced soldiers.”

  “Oh!” Frank closed his eyes, snapped his fingers and smiled. “That’s right! That’s what they’re called. Whoa. Over a hundred SUT . . . such . . . . such . . . a wonderful plan.” Frank grinned again.

  “Glad you agree. Good day, Colonel.” Leonard didn’t return the smile. He just left the office.

  Frank snarled as Leonard left. “Asshole.” He brought his fingers to his lips and began to bite his nails. “Shit. That many SUTs?” He spit out a nail bit, rocked some more in his desk chair, and submerged himself into a ‘Frank’ thinking mode.

  ^^^^

  Beginnings, Montana

  Shaking his head, Jess rolled the tires up the small grade to the level section. “This is ridiculous,” he complained out loud. He hoisted them up because rolling them wouldn’t be an option through the bush and crate filled wall Robbie created first instead of last. He emerged into the new clearing that a day earlier was made free of high weeds, trees, and anything that made the area remotely look like one day it could be a forest.

  The clearing wasn’t that big, half the length of a football field. Located on the hill used for the security training area, the new clearing lay beyond the wooded area that lined the area behind the barrack style housing. It was quite the trip to be carrying items, but Robbie assured Jess they were there to stay. After the Neville competition was over, he was sure they would incorporate the new obstacle course into part of their security regimen.

  Jess somehow didn’t buy it. Robbie was creating a nature meets plague ravished and looted street appearance. Jess couldn’t figure out how the three cars that Robbie broke the windows out and brought in off the highways could be at all useful to Frank when he returned.

  Jess spotted him, actually Jess heard Robbie first. The metal banging carried up the hillside as Robbie’s foot slammed over and over into an open car door seemingly trying to free it from its hinges. He chuckled at Robbie’s determination and vain attempt to do something nearly impossible. Then Jess stopped walking when the door flew off. “Shit.”

  “Hey.” Robbie ran the back of his hand over his forehead. “Man, is that all you can carry?”

  “Um, yeah, Robbie. You made me carry them nearly a half a mile up a hill. You are gonna hurt yourself.”

  “Nah.” Robbie shook his head and took the tires. “This is looking pretty good, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Jess watched Robbie lay the tires down in that part of the obstacle course. “Robbie.”

  Robbie brushed off his hands as he stacked the last two tires. “Yeah?” He moved to Jess. “Ready to head back?”

  Jess walked with Robbie to the crate and bush wall. “The whole point of running through the tires is to trip you up a little but not a lot. Why are some of them stacked three high?”

  Robbie shrugged. “Have to add to the challenge.”

  “Not all men in this community are over six feet.”

  Robbie grinned. “Yep. I know.” Robbie slipped his tall body through his homemade wall.

  “What if Dean was competing? He’d never be able to do it.”

  “Yeah, he is little.” Robbie snickered. “I’m surprised we actually have jeans that fit him.”

  “We don’t,” Jess commented. “Any of the jeans he wears that aren’t really old are huge on him and baggy in the butt.”

  “Whoa.” Robbie joked as he walked side by side with Jess. “Noticing Dean’s butt are we.”

  Jess smiled. “Hey, how can I not.”

  “I’m telling ya, Jess, Ben from fabrics will kick your ass if you go after his dream man.”

  “Ben?” Jess spoke in such a upbeat, kidding manner. “Ben has nothing on me. Please.”

  Robbie slowed down in his walk when he saw a Jeep pull up to the security training area. “Hey look, speak of the devil, it’s Dean.”

  “What’s he doing up here?”

  Robbie shrugged. “Don’t know. But . . .” He nudged his shoulder into Jess’ as they walked. “Now’s your chance. He has that cute butt.”

  “Nah.” Jess nudged back. “I’d rather save myself for you.”

  Robbie laughed and walked ahead of Jess. “Hey Dean.” He trotted up to him. “Joining the elite force?”

  Dean had a snicker on his face as he walked up to Robbie, his hand in the front pocket of his baggy jeans. “Is Robbie training 101 any better than Frank training 101.”

  “Hell yeah. I’m the man.” Robbie smacked himself in his own chest. “What’s up?”

  “I need to talk to you,” Dean said. “I was looking for you at the same time as Joe. He needs to speak to you and when Henry said you were here, I. . .”

  “Aw!” Robbie whined loudly. “Henry is such a snitch. I swear.”

  “Well, we won’t dis
cuss Henry, but . . .” Dean held up his hand. “I’d like to discuss something else so I told Joe I’d come up here to get you. I thought maybe I’d ride with you to Joe and we could talk.”

  “Sure.” Robbie nodded. “Jess, the keys are in the other Jeep.”

  “What Jeep?” Jess asked.

  “The one I drove up,” Robbie stated.

  “You drove up? I thought you walked. I walked.”

  “Then you’re a glutton.” Robbie laughed. “It’s parked behind the barracks.”

  Jess tossed his hands up. “Thanks, Robbie.”

  “Ha.” Robbie grinned. “Let’s go, Dean.” He stepped to the Jeep with Dean, stopped, and took a step back to Jess, winking. “Don’t be jealous. I know you want him.”

  Jess, with a smirk, flipped Robbie off. He stood there shaking his head with a chuckle, as Robbie and Dean pulled away. Grateful that he at least didn’t have to walk back down to Beginnings, Jess got a second wind and energetically trotted behind the barracks. He stopped cold. “Shit.” He tossed back his head. “That shit.” Jess shook his head. Robbie had lied. There was no Jeep.

  ^^^^^

  There were several things that ran through Robbie’s mind as he rode with Dean back to the line of utility buildings. One, what Dean had to tell him must be serious. Dean had that look on his face and he was silent as if he was getting it together in his mind. Two, did Robbie do something wrong? And three, Dean had to be the slowest driver Robbie ever rode with in Beginnings.

  “Dean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are we pretending we’re teenagers and cruising for chicks because we just aren’t finding them up here.”

  Dean laughed but a nervousness came through. He slowed the Jeep down to a stop.

  “Uh-oh..”

  “What?”

  “You aren’t gonna hit on me are you.”

  “No, I’m . . .” The shock of what Robbie asked Dean hit him. Dean swayed his head to Robbie.

  Robbie raised his eyebrows a few times.

  “Robbie, stop that.”

  “Kidding you. What’s up.”

  “I need to talk to you very, very seriously for a minute. I need you to be serious.”