The End

by G. Michael Hopf

  “Sir, we have a carrier group located in Hawaii that we can use and we have three attack submarines in the Western Pacific.”

  “General, contact our command in Hawaii and move some ships out of port and have them prepared to engage Barone and his ARG. Also contact those subs and get them in position as well.”

  “Yes, sir,” Griswald said.

  Conner looked at each person in the room. He then said, “We cannot allow this to stand, we must stop him. If we do not, this will encourage others to defy us. God damn him. We have enough to worry about, now we have to dedicate resources to stopping him.”

  “Mr. President, this is a wise decision,” Griswald said.

  “General, do we have any more information about the attacks? Our time frame to do something is running short.”

  “Sorry, sir, we are no closer than we were a day after the attacks. This will take time.”

  Everyone was getting accustomed to seeing Conner act out in anger. So seeing him again display his anger by slamming his fist on the table was not shocking.

  Conner scolded Griswald. “We don’t have much more time. Every minute that goes by without a response emboldens our enemies and makes them think we don’t have the means or the guts to do something about this. I am only being patient for you, General; I need some answers and I need them soon.”

  “We will continue to keep working on it, sir,” Griswald responded.

  Griswald was not being completely honest with the president. He did not want to give him what he had found out from his counterpart in Australia. From his conversations over the past week, the Australians had managed to secure information from one of the prisoners. The prisoner told them that he had been trained in Iran. He did not know where the bomb had come from as it was already there when they arrived. While this information was valuable he did not want to give Conner the excuse to nuke Iran just yet. He felt Conner had an itchy trigger finger. Griswald wanted to see if he could build a coalition amongst the new presidential staff to his mostly diplomatic and limited military option versus the president’s nuclear-only option. Griswald realized what he was doing could be considered a violation of his duty to the president but he felt that going along with the president’s option would leave half the world a nuclear wasteland. He knew he didn’t have much time, so he needed to act soon.

  December 13, 2014

  The only cure for grief is action.

  —G. H. Lewes

  San Diego, California

  Gordon sat on the edge of the bed, distraught. The thought of going to Mason’s funeral was dreadful. He could not help but think that he could have acted quicker. Regret filled his mind as he doubted his actions. He doubted his actions and thought he had been too cautious while he searched the hospital. If he had acted more quickly, Mason might still alive. His thoughts were also plagued by the feelings of guilt. He cursed that he had not secured enough supplies beforehand.

  He had not seen Jimmy since that night. The entire event had caused heartache and controversy in the community. All were saddened at the news of Mason’s death and some had also used the incident for political gain by using it to strike out at Gordon. Dan had confronted Gordon later that night about the shooting of the unarmed man. As soon as Dan had finished arguing with Gordon that night he promptly went to Mindy’s house to inform her of the confrontation, the killing, and Mason’s death. Mindy, shocked by Mason’s death, also saw it as a chance to publically condemn Gordon. She had called a special session of the board to meet after the funeral.

  Life in Rancho Valentino had been insulated from the realities of what was happening to those outside the gate. Not realizing the harshness of the new world, Mindy was successful in seeding discontent against Gordon. He felt had they only been able to see the world outside they would see cause for his decisive action. Many in Rancho Valentino were spoiled and protected.

  Those outside the gate did not have that luxury, and were scraping by or not at all. Many had already become victims of violence or lack of food and water. He now realized how important cooperation was in the community. Even those who disagreed with his actions he needed in order to have a successfully running community. However, Mindy had an agenda that was more personal. She had not been outside the gate; she had never had the chance to experience what was really going on. She wanted power and she wanted to humiliate Gordon. With the death of Mason, she would have her chance to publically call into question Gordon’s tactics and seek to have him replaced.

  Gordon knew what was coming but didn’t care, except for the fact that every minute not focused on resupplying was an opportunity lost forever.

  Gordon stood up and stretched. He slowly walked into the dark closet and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Putting on the T-shirt, he noticed the absence of the fragrant smell so typical of his clothes. The softness also was missing, replaced with a stiffness in the fibers from being hung to dry outside.

  When he exited he was greeted by Samantha. They exchanged the typical morning greetings. Samantha could see the weight of everything on his face and said, “Honey, come here.”

  “What?” he said, not looking at her.

  “Come here, give me a hug,” she said, grabbing Gordon and pulling him in close.

  She just held him and kissed him.

  “This is all so crazy,” Gordon said softly.

  Whispering into his ear, she said, “I know, but you need to keep moving forward. We need you; we cannot afford to have you down like this.”

  Gordon pulled away and looked at her.

  Looking into his eyes, she could see the disappointment. She continued to console him by saying, “Gordon, I know you may have doubts because of what happened the other night. But believe me, I trust you, I believe in you. You did what was necessary to protect us and to get the medicine for Mason. It wasn’t your fault he died.”

  “I could have—”

  She stopped him from talking by placing her fingers on his lips and softly saying to him, “You did everything you needed to do. What happened, happened. It was not because of you.”

  Gordon kept staring at her. Her words of encouragement meant a lot to him. In many ways, they both shared the responsibility of being each other’s “rock.”

  The tone in her voice then shifted. “I know that bitch Mindy is using this as a chance to smear you. I need you to fight back, we need you, and this community needs you. Don’t take her shit. You’re a fighter, that’s why I love you. You never give up. I know you need this time to reflect, but this afternoon you’ll need to let that go and defend yourself.”

  As the words came from Samantha, they gave Gordon the confidence he needed. He brought her in close, hugged her tightly, and said, “I love you, Sam.”

  “I love you too.”

  A moment passed as they both just held one another, and as in many times before their intimacy was cut short by the voice of one of their children.

  They both laughed. Gordon looked at her and said, “Thank you.”

  Touching his face, Samantha finished their special moment by saying, “Now go put your boots on.”

  • • •

  The funeral was tough on Gordon. Seeing his good friends go through the loss of their only child was excruciating. He could not imagine having to go through this with one of his own. He was given a brief moment to talk with Jimmy, who reassured him that he did not blame him. Jimmy really placed the blame on himself for not being more prepared. He had just assumed they had more inhalers. Simone could barely walk; Jimmy had to support her the entire time. She sobbed throughout the ceremony. Her sobs and wailing made many in attendance do the same.

  They buried Mason in their backyard; the scene resembled something from the eighteenth century. An uneven hole was dug in the earth. Two shovels were sticking out of the pile of dirt that sat next to the hole and Mason was wrapped in his special Star Wars blankets
that he loved so much. All who attended brought flowers with them and as they passed the open grave they tossed them in. After the last person came by, Jimmy approached the grave and grabbed one of the shovels. He gripped the handle tightly as he drove the shovel into the fresh dirt. After dumping the first shovel of dirt onto Mason he stopped. Overcome with grief, he fell to his knees and began to sob. Gordon could no longer just stand by idle. He stepped forward, grabbed the other shovel, and began to fill the grave. Gordon couldn’t imagine the pain his friend was feeling, he fought back his own grief but held back so he could finish.

  When the ceremony ended, many just left. A few went up to Jimmy and Simone and offered their condolences. There would be no food platters or drink to be offered. Simone sat in the weathered outdoor chair, staring blankly at Mason’s now covered grave. Gordon was going to walk over and say something but he felt it was time to leave; he took Samantha’s hand and graciously walked out of the house. They left the kids at home with Nelson because they felt the kids were too young to see their friend buried. They walked back to their house, holding hands. Silence was between them, no words could convey how they felt. Gordon looked at his watch; he would soon be pulled before the board and grilled about the events that night. He was ready for them; he was ready for the inquisition and spectacle that Mindy had in store for him.

  The troubles of the day temporarily lifted when he and Samantha were greeted with joy by their two children. They both ran out of the house and into the arms of Gordon and Samantha. They both embraced their kids and held them close. Gordon held his little daughter and kissed her. She knew something was wrong and said to him, “I missed you, Daddy. I love you!” Those words filled Gordon with intense emotion. Hunter had heard Haley and he repeated the same thing to Samantha. Gordon looked over and Samantha looked at him. They both smiled. The love they felt for each other was present in that moment and more powerful than at any other time.

  It was time for Gordon to go. Samantha grabbed his hands and looked at him. “Gordon, I love you. I’ve got it all covered here. Go and take care of this for us.”

  He smiled at her and said, “I will, honey. I’ll be okay.”

  • • •

  Gordon arrived at the community clubhouse a few minutes before the scheduled emergency board meeting. The room he was to be questioned in was also used to inventory the items his teams brought back daily. Boxes of food, water, supplies, and accessories lined the walls. In the center of the room were two long tables; they had been cleared and chairs set up. A single chair faced both tables. Gordon assumed that was for him. He smiled to himself then spoke out loud, “What a joke.”

  “What’s a joke?” said someone behind him.

  He turned and saw it was Eric.

  “Hey,” Gordon said stretching out his hand.

  Eric took his hand and said, “Hi, Gordon.”

  “What are you doing here?” Gordon asked curiously.

  “I heard about this hearing and wanted to come support you.”

  Looking very surprised, Gordon said, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  Gordon hadn’t been able to discuss Eric’s new position on the security force that night because of the situation with Mason. Fortunately, Jerrod had met up with him the next day and took him out on a quick trip to the hospital where Mason had died. While Gordon had not been successful in getting the inhaler to Mason in time, the night proved successful for the community.

  Gordon and Eric carried on a very casual conversation before Mindy, Dan, and the board arrived. They quickly took their seats at the tables. Not taking a seat, Dan stood off to the side of the room. Mindy carried a binder along with a mallet.

  Sitting in the center seat, Mindy looked left and right to wait for her colleagues to sit before she gave her attention to Gordon.

  Gordon just stood near the seat facing them and stared back at her. Seeing them all made him feel like being defiant.

  Mindy grabbed her mallet, tapped the table, and said, “I hereby open this emergency meeting of the Rancho Valentino Board. Would all present please take a seat.” She looked directly at Gordon, who did not move. He just stared at her.

  She tapped her mallet again and said, “Mr. Van Zandt, can you please take a seat now so we may begin?” She looked past Gordon and saw Eric. “I’m sorry, but this is a closed meeting.”

  Gordon turned around and gestured for Eric to leave.

  “Are you sure?” Eric asked.

  “I’ll be fine.” He then turned, looked at the board and said, “I’m not worried about any of this.”

  Eric listened to Gordon and left. Not wanting to waste any more time, Gordon walked over his chair and sat down.

  “Thank you, Mr. Van Zandt,” Mindy said, taking off her reading glasses and placing them on the binder in front of her. She folded her hands, leaned forward, and asked, “Mr. Van Zandt, do you know why you’re here?”

  Gordon chuckled out loud sitting straight in his chair. “Yes, you want to grill me about the other night. Then you want to embarrass me and ridicule my actions.”

  “Mr. Van Zandt—”

  “Call me Gordon, I would prefer that.”

  “Gordon, no one is here to embarrass or ridicule anyone. We are here to investigate the incident that occurred the other night that resulted in the death of an innocent and unarmed man as well as the tragic loss of Mason Torrance. We have been briefed thoroughly by Mr. Bradford on the incident in question,” Mindy finished. She picked her glasses back up. Opening her binder, she started to read the report that Dan had given the board. When she was finished she closed the binder and took off her glasses again.

  “Gordon, we have all discussed the report we received from Mr. Bradford and we are concerned.”

  “Concerned about what?” Gordon snapped with a tinge of anger in his voice.

  “We are concerned that you may not have the capacity to lead the security force. You have shown several times to have a short fuse and you react without due diligence.”

  “Short fuse? In relation to what?”

  “As you know, Mr. Bradford is a trained police officer and he would have handled the situation differently. He feels it was unnecessary to shoot the man.”

  “Well of course he thought that, he’s a cop,” Gordon said with sarcasm in his tone. He looked over at Dan, who was standing to the side of the room with his arms crossed.

  “Why do you say that?” Mindy asked.

  “This whole episode is bullshit!”

  “Excuse me.”

  “Listen, this is all bullshit. For one, Dan is a fat cop. Highly trained my ass; like most cops they feel they are only doing their job when they are harassing good people or attempting to find a way to ticket them. They are nothing but glorified tax collectors. Dan probably never pulled his gun out in his career and if he did it was when an eighty-year-old got pissed about the speeding ticket she was being given.” Gordon was very upset, it could be heard in his voice.

  The expression on Dan’s face changed from smugness to anger after Gordon’s diatribe.

  Mindy tapped her mallet and said, “Mr. Van Zandt, stop your attacks on Mr. Bradford.”

  “Okay, I will. But I’m not done. I have a few choice words for you. You’re nothing but a power hungry, naïve bitch; you are wasting my time and wasting this community’s opportunity to have as many of us as possible out in the field. I don’t understand you. You need to go outside these gates to see what is going on. You’re protected behind these gates and are still living in a pre-attack mindset. You need to open your eyes and realize that we must all work together to do this. You’re still holding a grudge from the incident a few years back. Get over it and let me get back to work.”

  Not liking what Gordon had said, she fired back, “Mr. Van Zandt, your immature responses only prove that you lack the temperament to lead our community’s security forces. We had
thought maybe we could have you see the errors in your ways, but obviously you are a stubborn man. We have all voted and it is unanimous that you will be removed from the head of the security force and be held under house arrest for the murder of the unarmed man at the hospital.”

  “Are you crazy?” Gordon yelled.

  “We know your history, Mr. Van Zandt. We know that your killed an unarmed Iraqi back during the war and it appears this is a common trait of yours—”

  “Fuck you!” Gordon yelled. He stood up and pointed a finger at Mindy.

  Dan took a step toward Gordon. Gordon turned to him, pointed his finger, and said, “You come toward me, I will ruin you!” He then turned his attention back toward Mindy. “You are making a huge mistake and I will not abide by this kangaroo court.”

  Mindy grabbed her mallet one more time but this time she slammed it down. “Order, order; Mr. Van Zandt, sit down!”

  Dan and Gordon were now cross talking over Mindy. Mindy kept slamming her mallet down but both men were not listening, they were yelling at one another.

  Unexpectedly, the door to the room opened up and light washed across the room. Everyone turned to see Jimmy. The sight of him brought silence to the room. Jimmy walked in and stood next to Gordon.

  Putting his arm around Gordon he said, “This man is my friend and he did what he needed to do the other night for me and Mason. We heard what was happening here so we all came to protest and stop this injustice.”

  “Mr. Torrance, I am sorry for your loss. Don’t you think you should be home with your wife now?” Mindy asked.

  Just then Simone walked in along with Samantha, Melissa, Eric, and another two dozen neighbors. Before long, Gordon was flanked on either side by dozens of supportive neighbors.

  “Gordon is my friend and a trusted part of this community. Without his leadership we may not be in the shape we are today. I have been outside these gates, Mindy. The world has changed. We are not dealing with the world you think still exists. What Gordon did the other night, and his actions before, he did to protect us,” Eric said eloquently. He stood on the other side of Gordon.