by Robert Boren
“Good,” Morgan said. There was another ding. “That Tex or Jules?”
“Tex, same thing as Ted, they’re leaving.”
“Maybe we’d better go too, before more of these folks start climbing out and get a lucky shot at our tires or something.”
“Text Jules,” Robbie said. “I’m going to light up the end with a bunch of grenade fire and get ready to go.”
“On it,” she said, sending a quick text to Jules. He replied right away. “They’re ready too. He says we should both be firing while we take down siege mode, until we get out of sight.”
“Yeah,” Robbie said. “It’ll keep their heads down.” He flipped the switch for siege mode, lowering it as he fired up the mini-gun, sweeping lead across the front of the damaged road, firing a few grenades as well. Then he drove forward quickly, a few stray bullets hitting the back before they were around the bend, Jules right behind them.
“Wow,” Morgan said. “Think that did enough good?”
“We’ll find out,” Robbie said. They squeezed by the roadblock, which the CHP officers had already left behind.
{7}
Earth Movers
J ules backed into the covered space at the quarry yard. Robbie had already arrived, and a swarm of off-roaders and Jeeps were rolling in. He shut down the engine and got out of his seat, his legs aching from sitting for so long. Sparky got up and stretched.
“Enemy get past bridge?” Jules asked, walking to the dinette, where Shelley and Dana were sitting.
“Not so far,” Shelley said, eyes glued to the laptop screen. “I see a lot of them going east on foot.”
“We ruined their whole day,” Dana said.
“I’m a little worried about the people who live there,” Sparky said. “Looks like some of the enemy fighters are pretty close to the escape road.”
Shelley nodded. “Our guys should be well beyond those spots.”
“I text them now,” Jules said, pulling out his phone.
“How many enemy fighters are moving?” Sparky asked.
“Well over half,” Shelley said. “From what I can tell. Some are wounded but not dead, of course.”
“You mean there’s over a hundred thousand enemy fighters roaming around up there?”
“Give or take,” Shelley said. “They’re in trouble, though. There’s not much nearby. They need a Dunkirk operation to get them out of harm’s way.”
“It’s cold at night now,” Sparky said. “If they don’t have shelter, they’re gonna have a hard night. Would’ve been easier for them a month ago.”
“Ted, Tex, and others out of area,” Jules said. “Some action on way out, Ted’s mini gun turret damaged. Several off-roaders killed on escape road.”
“Wonder how many off-roaders we lost?” Dana asked.
“Hope not many,” Jules said. “Sparky, you know terrain, weather patterns there?”
“Yeah, spent a lot of time there in my twenties,” Sparky said. “On fire crews, and on vacations. It gets cold at night, but some of them are from climates that get cold too. Afghanistan, for instance.”
“They’ll build fires,” Shelley said. “Try to keep alive. I think Ivan’s team should recruit up there. If the Islamists don’t have an easy way out, they’ll hurt lots of people as they walk away. We’ll see raids, and a lot of civilians killed.”
“I’ll text Ivan,” Jules said. “Need to update him on operation anyway.”
“You know, if we have a whole bunch of people starting campfires there, we’ll have a dangerous situation,” Sparky said.
“Dangerous how?” Dana asked.
“We had a dry year. The place is like a tinder box. A forest fire could create a lot of havoc for them.”
“Ivan call in few minutes,” Jules said. “Busy at moment.”
“There’s Tex and Cody coming in the gate,” Sparky said.
“Good,” Dana said. “Ted and Justin ought to be coming within fifteen minutes or so.”
“That right, based on text from Ted,” Jules said. His phone rang. He put it on speaker and set it on the dinette table, then slid onto the seat next to Shelley. “Ivan?”
“Hello, Jules,” he said. “We saw what you did on the satellite feed.”
“You have satellite feed back now?”
“Yes,” he said. “The Feds are losing control of everything. How’d you guys kill so many enemy fighters? Looks like you took out nearly half of them.”
“Cars and trucks fragile,” Jules said. “Grenades burn them fast. Cause chain reaction when they explode. Many never got out of vehicles.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“There over hundred thousand creeps wandering around there,” Jules said. “We need to warn nearby residents. Maybe recruit them to fight.”
Ivan chuckled. “Ben Dover started that before you guys got there. We can’t field anywhere near a hundred thousand citizens, but we’ll have a lot of snipers there. Good marksmen who know the terrain. I wouldn’t want to be an enemy fighter out there.”
“Excellent,” Dana said.
“Are all your people back?” Ivan asked.
“All except last group, and I text with them five minutes ago,” Jules said. “Should be here any minute. Ted’s coach has damaged mini gun turret.”
“How many off-roaders did we lose?”
“Don’t know yet, boss. Some. Not many.”
“Good,” Ivan said. “Rest overnight. We need you in the south. You leave in the morning.”
“Ji-Ho all right?” Jules asked.
“He’s fine, but there’s a huge number of enemy troops massing near the border, as we discussed earlier.”
“A few battle wagons aren’t going to make much difference,” Sparky said.
“Many thousands of recruits will arrive at Dodge City, where Ji-Ho’s team is now. They’ll need help to manage the situation and work strategy.”
“Are there still seven hundred thousand coming?” Shelley asked.
“They’re moving five-hundred thousand to the border as we speak, and the two-hundred thousand from northern California are taking the eastern route to link up with them. They’re by the Salton Sea right now.”
“How many recruits can we count on?” Sparky asked.
“We’re counting on a million,” Ivan said.
“What?” Sparky asked. “You’re high.”
Ivan chuckled. “We have a third of those committed already, and we’ve been given permission to recruit in western San Diego County.”
“Who gave that?” Jules asked.
“The US Navy Base commander,” Ivan said.
“How far from the border are the enemy fighters?” Sparky asked.
“About sixty miles, but they’re on foot.”
“We won’t make it in time,” Sparky said.
“You’re probably right, you won’t make it there by the time the initial incursion starts,” Ivan said, “but there will be plenty for you to do. The battle isn’t to keep them from coming over the border. No way to stop that now. The battle will happen inside California. That gives us a lot more time to work with.”
“Hey, here comes Ted and Cody’s rigs!” Sparky said, watching them through the front windshield. “Right on time.”
“Excellent,” Ivan said. “I’ve got to go, but we’ll probably have a brief meeting a little later. Be ready to leave at first light tomorrow. Fantastic job. Please relay my praise to all.”
The call ended.
“Well, there you have it,” Sparky said.
“Let’s have quick meeting with others,” Jules said, standing up. “Then relax, rest. Tomorrow big day.”
***
Saladin was riding shotgun in a nondescript white van, on I-10 just past Banning, heading for the Mexican border. Twelve of his closest men were in the back, along with their weapons and ammo. His phone rang. He sighed when he saw Daan’s name, and put it to his ear.
“Hello.”
“You stupid son of a bitch,” Daan sa
id, his fury coming over the line like lightning.
“Calm down,” Saladin said. “What’s wrong?”
“You sent men over the Sierras to attack Sacramento without consulting me first?”
“I still command my own men,” he said, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“Yeah, well that wasn’t too bright,” Daan said. “How did that operation do?”
“I should be hearing from my commanders any time. They should be out of the mountains by now.”
Daan laughed sarcastically. “You don’t even know, do you?”
“What?”
“Almost half of your men are dead, and the rest are stuck in those mountains with no way out.”
“That’s impossible. There was no force around large enough to pull that off.”
“Didn’t take a large force,” Daan said. “Ivan’s team used a choke point. Blew a small bridge, then trapped your convoy when the leaders got there. Hit their ranks with automatic grenade fire.”
“It can’t be,” Saladin said.
“Those men were working the General Hogan campaign, and now they’re dead or stranded,” Daan said. “You’ve just given Hogan a huge gift. It might be our undoing.”
“Nonsense,” Saladin said, loosening his collar. “It’s a minor setback at best. I’ll get some men up there to retrieve the survivors.”
“No you won’t,” Daan said. “They’ll all be dead by the time you get people there, and the citizens will be strong enough to take them on. You just closed one of the few back doors we have into California. Closed it tighter than a drum.”
“We’ll make up for it in the south,” Saladin said, “unless you think Ivan can come up with a million men.”
“He won’t need a million men,” Daan said. “The Federal Government is headed for trouble, and I’m sure the military knows it.”
“I heard that there’s another coup attempt in the works. No matter, the real power isn’t in the United States anyway.”
“That real power you refer to is beginning to fear the US Navy and Air Force using their full capability without fear of Washington,” Daan said. “We’re in a lot of trouble. The EU Leadership has ordered me to sideline you. You are to report to the base at Capital Reef.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll have you killed,” Daan said.
“My forces will turn on you,” Saladin spat.
“I wouldn’t count on that.”
“I’m going south to run the operation. Everybody’s waiting for me.”
Daan chuckled. “Seriously, don’t do it. Go hide out in Capitol Reef. This will blow over after a while, and then we can attempt to pick up the pieces.”
“Who’s going to run the operation, then?”
“The lower-level commanders have already been notified, but we need you to verify it.”
“Why would I do that?” Saladin asked.
“Because you know that’s the only way you’ll survive, and be able to get back into this battle.”
“There’s nothing I can do at Capitol Reef that hasn’t already been done,” Saladin said.
“We’re getting intelligence reports about the Militia. There’s been overtures made to them by General Hogan’s forces. We need somebody there to hold our alliance together.”
Saladin closed his eyes, fighting his emotions back. “That is important. Okay, I can make the case to them. It was I who brought them in originally. I’ll do as you ask.”
“Good,” Daan said. “Take the men you’re leading south.”
“They aren’t needed for the border operation? That’s nearly two hundred thousand men.”
“We have over seven hundred thousand converging on the border, and another couple hundred thousand on the way to Mazatlán as we speak. The EU Navy is helping with that effort now.”
“You’re afraid we’ll lose California,” Saladin said.
Daan was silent for a moment.
“You still there?”
“If we can keep the US Navy’s air power out of this, we’ll probably win. Yesterday morning I believed they weren’t going to be an issue. Now I’m not so sure.”
“That was part of the reason I wanted to keep up the pressure in Northern California,” Saladin said.
“Finally, some honesty,” Daan said. “If we lose this, neither of us will survive. Even if we get out of the country. Our own side will kill us.”
“I’ll disappear into the woodwork. I’ve done it before.”
Daan laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“Where are you?”
“North of Arizona,” he said.
“Understood,” Saladin said. “Talk to you later.”
“Maybe,” Daan said. The call ended.
Saladin looked at his driver. “Turn around, and get on I-15. Go northeast.”
The driver looked at him nervously and nodded, as Saladin focused on his phone, sending texts.
***
The Saloon in Dodge City was filling up fast, the windows open again, letting in the heat of late afternoon. Ji-Ho was working the audio-visual with Clem, others gathered around chatting. Seth and Kaitlyn were in front of their laptop on a table against the back wall, Angel, Megan, Trevor, and Kaylee sitting with them, eyeing the growing crowd nervously.
“Wonder what’s up?” Trevor asked.
“My uncle looks nervous,” Kaylee said. “I don’t think he’s feeling all that well, either.”
Garrett came in with Anna and several others, followed by Ed and Tyler. Sam brought in Mia, Erica arriving a few minutes later with Sarah, Yvonne, and Sid.
Ji-Ho stood before the crowd. “Thank you all for coming. We expect conference call with Ivan and others in five minutes. Just relax. Find seats. Make room for others.”
“The fire department wouldn’t like this,” Willard cracked from behind the bar, a grin on his face. “Too bad I’m not serving. Make a pretty penny.”
“Oh, shut up, you old goat,” Susanne said.
“Be nice, honey,” Elmer said.
She rolled her eyes and sat next to him. “You shut up too. Like living with teenagers.”
“What’d you do now, guys?” Garrett whispered.
“I heard that,” Susanne said. “They found more booze down in the tunnel. Decided to mess with that instead of fixing my lights. Want me to use candles down there to work by?”
“We’ve got enough modern weapons now,” Elmer said. “We don’t need you breaking your back loading black powder rounds anymore.”
“Yeah, we’re good, until we run out,” she said. “I’m still gonna keep working.”
“We have people coming on now,” Ji-Ho said. The screen came up, split three ways. Ivan was on the left, Ben Dover in the center, and Jules, Ted, Sparky, and Tex crowding into the right.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Sam said, looking at his old friends. “How’s it going, guys?”
Ted smiled. “Figures. In a bar. Some things never change.”
“Hi, men,” Ji-Ho said. “So great to see you.”
“We’ll have some social time soon enough,” Ivan said. “We need to get this over with quickly. Everybody hear me okay?”
“No problem in saloon,” Ji-Ho said.
“Same here,” Jules said.
“We hear you,” Ben Dover said, a few members of his team popping their heads out behind him.
“Okay, here’s the situation. We all know that there’s three quarters of a million enemy troops massing south of the border, on foot. They’ve got about two days of walking to get to the California border.”
“Yeah, been watching them on the apps,” Ed said. Others agreed, in the saloon and on the screen.
“We’ve also got a couple hundred thousand on the way south from Northern California,” Ivan said. “That’s the bad news.”
“There’s good news?” Sam asked.
“We’ve got nearly that many recruits on the way,” Ivan said, “but thanks to your handiwork early in the war, it’s not eas
y to get them from where they are to where we need them.”
“You’re talking about the pass we blew up on Highway 94,” Sid said.
“Precisely,” Ivan said. “We need that opened up, and have a convoy of earth movers and massive bull dozers heading to the scene now.”
“Got a month?” Sam asked.
“You don’t understand,” Ivan said. “We’ve got enough equipment coming to clear your mess in a few days.”
“Where did you get it?” Sid asked. “I know what we’d need, and it’s a lot, trust me.”
“San Diego County had everything that we needed, including the crews who are experienced with this sort of problem. They’re stepping in.”
“Okay, so we take three days to clear that out,” Ed said. “That will be just in time for the enemy troops to use it as a gateway into San Diego.”
“You’re right, we won’t have that mess cleared before the enemy gets over the border,” Ivan said. “All that means is that we’ll be fighting them on our home turf, and we’ll have some help.”
“Help?” Ji-Ho asked.
“The US Navy’s aviators are going to join us,” Ivan said. “In large numbers. We’ll get help from the Marines as well.”
“How much air power do they have that’s not out on a carrier someplace?” Ted asked.
“A lot more than I expected,” Ivan said. “And there are two carriers on the way into the general area as we speak. The carriers might be a little late to the party, but we probably won’t need them.”
“What general area?” Ji-Ho asked.
“The Pacific coast of Southern California,” Ivan said. “Don’t put that on the internet, please.”
There were murmurs in the room.
“So, what’s our role?” Sam asked.
“We’d like to set up Dodge City as a way station and supply depot for this operation,” Ivan said.
“That puts a big target on us,” Garrett said.
“That’s why we’re talking,” Ivan said. “It does make you a target, but you won’t be alone, and you’ll have capability that is vastly superior to what you have now. We are poised to terrorize the enemy and destroy them. This is the beginning of the end.”