Uriah turned and looked at Greene, “Come to think of it, Conrad, I want you to join me tonight. I want you sitting beside the First Lady and Vice President Johnson. Mrs. Francis, I would like to have you in the picture as well. Let’s have some candid photos of us together.”
President Watt continued around the room, “Martin, leak a story about a possible Presidential endorsement for General Greene. All of this will have America talking more than listening. There is a good chance we can have a built-in successor while also taking care of the mess in Salt Lake.” He pointed at the screen, “I need updated footage sent over to Marshall before sunset. Marshall has taken the lead in SLC, Operation Black Tide.”
Conrad became concerned with his friend in front of the screen. President Watt has laid out two drastic decisions within a short period of time despite all reason and military experience recommending him to take a different route. This didn’t sit well with Conrad, but there would have to be another time without Arthur Hale or Paul Marshall intercepting his best efforts to speak candidly.
It would not be today, though.
Now was the time for Operation Black Tide.
The Subas didn’t show up on satellite footage while the sun was shining; it was only at night when the ten thousand roamed the streets of Draper, Utah as if they were pillaging a new territory. Conrad spent most of his time at the boardroom table watching the video clips of the Subas, learning their movements and their rapid aggression while they hunted. Draper was empty, fortunately, but Salt Lake City was only empty because of the hate-filled urgency which filled the streets.
Now, Conrad paced his mind through the rush of thoughts on what happens next. How much further would President Watt be willing to push himself down the rabbit hole? How much further would Conrad follow him? Tonight, Uriah was going to blatantly lie to the American public about the severity of the Salt Lake City fires. He would have them convinced it was serious enough to believe in foul play, but the reality was far more dangerous. Far more detrimental to the country. The three soldiers spent hours last night developing a flawless plan, codenamed Black Tide. Soldiers from all over the continent were being told to leave their base and head directly to their new assigned section in Utah. The state lines would be opened for Military personnel. It was going to be a massive undertaking.
All the while, President Watt was going to address the country on national television with force-fed stories and enough propaganda to drown a piranha.
Conrad was supposed to sit at his assigned seat tonight and be tomorrow morning’s topic of conversation. People made a living off of analyzing the location of a man’s seat and the people he was surrounded by. Uriah was a master strategist, he knew he was deflecting attention from Salt Lake City and bringing it into Conrad’s lap by simply having Vice President Eric Johnson and Conrad sitting to the respective left and right of the First Lady. Christopher Martin controlled the media, so naturally they would run with whatever story they were told.
*******
Wally Stansfield
1800 (Mountain time)
Provo, UT
Private First Class Hanson would never be confused as Wally’s best friend in the military. He didn’t have a personality, and he didn’t have work ethic. Wally could overlook a blank slate, but not a lazy one. He was a good shot, though, which counted to Commander Todd. Hanson was handy with a rifle and, when he actually tried, wrote up detailed reports after his night on the perch. Altogether, he was equal part talent and self-preservation. He would never advance far in rank, but he would never make enough mistakes to be reprimanded either.
This is why it was so surprising for PFC Hanson to not be at the perch on time. They were the two man rotation overseeing the most important perch in the Provo Border Line. It should have been a three man rotation, or even four, but a few soldiers go awol and Wally’s perch was the first to suffer. This meant that being late was not a mistake Commander Todd would take lightly. Hanson didn’t make this kind of large-scale mistake.
“Stansfield, copy?” Commander Todd’s voice came over the radio. Somehow, word must have already gone through the ranks pertaining to Hanson missing. Wally would be brought in for questioning, just like last time. Hopefully the Commander wouldn’t make him solely responsible for the perch.
“Sir, yes, sir. At the perch as we speak. Ready to go down the ladder and trade Private First Class Hanson,” he replied. It would be easier to assume ignorance on Joe’s disappearance. Wally didn’t know where he went, after all. Maybe he had a weak stomach?
There was a short silence on the other end.
“Report to the green tent in nine minutes.” Even over the static and poor sound quality of the radio, Wally could hear stress in Commander Todd’s voice.
“And the perch, sir? Hanson is—”
“Already in green tent, Stansfield.”
The green tent was the only green tent inside Soldier Village. It was twice as large as any of the other tents, and was about a mile away from Wally’s perch. Wally would have to make his way back through the village towards the civilian quarantine line. Nine minutes didn’t give him enough time, it took almost five minutes to climb down the ladder. The Commander didn’t take orders lightly, Wally would have to sprint the mile.
Wally looked down over soldier village. The long ladder crackled as the wind blew. From this high up, he could see the green tent on the far side. He shook his head and began his decent.
Commander Todd’s voice came again, “Copy?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Wally replied. He looked back towards the makeshift village and continued down until dropping the final eight feet to the ground and running towards the next objective.
The green tent was the primary location for any moderately-high ranked soldier to meet and discuss community behavior. Wally was surprised to hear of Hanson’s invitation, but maybe there was more to the story. It wasn’t unheard of to be called into the green tent for a status update. Maybe Hanson saw something last night and the Commander requested his first-hand account for all soldier’s at the green tent.
Whatever it was, it must be important for Hanson to be ordered to skip his shift at the perch. This was, after all, the most important viewpoint and Wally hoped someone would at least be directed to cover while he was occupied. Commander Todd wasn’t one to have an oversight of proper surveillance.
The wind blew heavy against Wally’s back, causing the collar of his uniform to unfold into his neck. He adjusted himself and looked to see if anyone noticed. Sometimes it was the simple things that could get you in trouble. Wally didn’t need to have the issue of improper uniform. Soldiers of his rank paid a steep price under Commander Todd.
Wally slowed in his sprint when he noticed the empty tents through Soldier Village. There were no soldiers, it had turned into a ghost town. They wouldn’t all fit in the green tent. They didn’t have the rank, either. Yet, they were gone. All that remained was twirling dust in the air and the barely-open flaps of the tents. No music. No laughter. Not even a soldier cleaning his gun.
Finally, Wally saw the green tent ahead and sprinted the remaining one hundred yards. He would be out of breath as he arrived, but he could take a second outside the door and control his breathing. Only guppies and fat-boys showed up to meetings breathing like they just sprinted a mile.
The air felt thicker in Utah’s elevation than it did back in Wally’s home state of New York. Everyone said it was actually thinner, but it didn’t feel that way in his lungs. He hunched over and spit on the dirt. He could feel blood in his lungs.
Wally stood tall and looked back to the Soldier Village one final time before entering the green tent. Provo wasn’t as bad as his past tours in the desert. At least this time there was pizza and beer. Soldier Village turned into a humble home for Wally over the last few days, but he wouldn’t mind if Commander Todd’s vital message was about a release date from working the Border.
After all, whatever happened to cause the border to go up, it
couldn’t last much longer.
Could it?
*******
Jenna Stansfield
Afternoon
Salt Lake City, UT
“So today is the day.” Shelly said to Jenna, opening up a can of tuna. It was the cheap kind that didn’t even need a can opener. It had the same type of pop-top as a can of coke. Shelly offered to share; Jenna forced a smile and shook her head.
Smart decision. Who knows what kind of long term damage you get from evil ash-infused canned tuna.
Jenna didn’t like fish to begin with, but she appreciated Shelly’s offer. She was always offering to share, and Jenna was trying really hard to appreciate people when they were friendly. It was hard being a spoiled brat. It sounded ridiculous, but after spending the last few years with Robert North catering to her every move, becoming unselfish was basically impossible. Of course, she didn’t have to be perfect overnight, but she wanted to be less like herself and more like Shelly. She made this decision yesterday after the bomb landed, and already her efforts were becoming strained.
You can’t fake it. Either you’re a good person, or you’re not.
Jenna wanted to turn over a new leaf and become a better person. Maybe someday someone would look at her the same way everyone in the shelter looks at Shelly. She was the group’s sweetheart. Jenna was the annoying little sister.
This afternoon’s time with Mona resulted in the little girl offering wisdom, just like all of the other times. She made it sound so easy, even when Jenna thought it was supposed to be hard. Mona offered advice on how to be in touch with other people and the importance of emotional awareness. She wanted Jenna to think about how she was feeling before talking, and then, think about how her feelings are going to affect other people’s feelings. And then, only after that, she should talk. Jenna always said what was on her mind, which usually ended up sounding needy or disrespectful. Mona wanted her to work on it.
Even though Mona didn’t get to meet her, she brought up Edie as a perfect example. Edie knew exactly what to say and when to say it. She might have come off quirky and rough around the edges, but she was smart. Jenna didn’t think of Edie as a role model, but she had a better chance of becoming more like Edie in this area than she did being perfect like Shelly. Jenna could be someone’s good friend, like Edie.
Maybe the best friend you ever had.
No maybes about it, Edie was the best friend Jenna ever had. How many other girlfriends would have saved her life? More than once?
None.
Jenna forced her smile to be more natural and didn’t break eye contact with Shelly. It was better to practice on someone like her, since she was basically the nicest person ever. She never ran out of energy to help, support, or shine with her beautiful smile.
It was a relief she didn’t hate Jenna after her dad sacrificed himself to save Jenna’s life. Lynn was a lot like Shelly, willing to do anything for other people. It still didn’t make sense why he made that choice.
Jenna didn’t have to force being grateful to Lynn. This memory was fresh.
All of your memories are fresh. Which is why you keep bothering Mona and sitting by Shelly. They’re the only two people who know how to respond while you act like a basket-case. They’re the only two who put up with you.
She wasn’t going to deny that.
“Are you okay?” Shelly asked, scanning Jenna.
Jenna’s response came out robotic, “I think so. I’m not really sure how I feel, but I guess.” She rubbed her foot and continued, there was no sense in trying to sound calm, it just made her sound stupid. “I’m fine. My body doesn’t hurt anymore, at all. My ankle feels better. All the scrapes are healing too. Asher said he was healing fast. I wonder if that means I will have special abilities like him.”
Shelly’s smile was even more beautiful. “Maybe. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have an amazing Pulse. There is plenty special about you, sweetheart.” She patted Jenna’s arm. “But I actually meant, are you okay, emotionally?”
“Oh. Yeah. Mostly. Sort of okay. It’s still a whirlwind. Like, seriously, less than a week ago I was complaining about having to fly into Salt Lake City to watch a stupid basketball game. Three days ago Edie shoved me in an oven.”
“An oven?” Shelly laughed.
“Yes. It was so scary.”
“I bet. Of course it would be Edie. She was a different bird, that one.”
“But it all feels so far away. I’m not numb, I wish I was, but I’m not. But I feel like so much has happened so fast and everything feels… distant. Like, I’m not here yet.”
Shelly ran her hand over Jenna’s back. “I understand. I keep looking to my right, expecting to see my dad. I know he’s gone, but he still hasn’t left me. I feel him close still; smiling, joking, and being the ornery brat I loved so much. I wish I spent more time with him as an adult, but I’m grateful for our time before he died. Especially, since he proved to be a better man than I would have ever known. Don’t get me wrong, he was a great dad, but still, I didn’t know him to be heroic. I didn’t know my dad was willing to go that far to save another life. Let alone a girl he barely knew,” she paused and wiped her eyes. “Sorry, I’ll probably say this a thousand times, but I don’t blame you. You know that right? I don’t hold this against you. My dad was a great man who made a decision to sacrifice himself. I can’t think of any better way to pass on a positive memory.”
They shared an awkward silence and looked back into the room. “I didn’t ask him too. I didn’t deserve it.”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s not about what you deserve. It’s about what you do, with what you have.”
Tink sat on the floor by Mona, trying to sleep while Mona and Asher talked. Harry snored loudly while he was sprawled out in the middle of the room. Mickey continued to stare at his light bulb and try to will electricity into it. Every so often, he would squint really hard and try to use his power to turn it on. It didn’t work.
“So, are you ready to leave?” Shelly asked.
“No,” Jenna replied.
“Me neither. I hate eating tuna and canned veggies, but I would rather never see another Wolf again. But it’s all going to end up okay, just like Mona said.”
But when the chips are down, you’re going to fail. Just like you always do. People like you don’t change.
“We have Mona to protect us. And Asher too,” Jenna said.
Shelly nodded slowly. “And maybe Mickey, if he can learn to use his powers for more than just killing a wild dog.”
“Maybe.”
“We’re going to be okay though. You and me, our group, we’re going to be okay. We’ve stayed alive this long for a reason, I know it. Not that I know the reason or anything, but there has to be something, right? We’re going to do exactly what Mona said. I can feel it.”
Jenna looked at her and asked, “What’s that?”
“We’re going to save the world.”
Jenna thought about how bold it was to say that, it was one thing for Mona to say it, but Shelly was a normal person. If she said it, she can’t have any doubts about Mona’s message or her plan. Jenna didn’t think she could ever be like that, she didn’t know how to trust.
“How are you so great?”
“I’m not… I’m just me. There’s freedom in being yourself, you should try it.”
Maybe someone with a heart like Shelly can save the world. Definitely someone like Mona and Asher. But you? Fat chance. You have a better chance of ruining the world. Everyone you get close with ends up dead. Don’t forget that.
She wouldn’t forget it either. How could she? Jenna was bad luck for everyone else. She kept getting lucky and staying alive despite her best efforts, but luck would run out. They were leaving soon, and when they did, it was a matter of time before her friends died.
Just like Edie.
Just like Lynn.
Just like Robert.
*******
Tink Morris
Coming up on the eve
ning, at least that’s what Mona said.
Salt Lake City, UT
Tink didn’t have much to say to Asher. It wasn’t personal, but they didn’t have anything in common. Being trapped in a bomb shelter with a small toilet in the only closet wasn’t enough to bring Tink closer with these people. They were from the other side of the tracks, all of ‘em. Sure, they might love Mona like she was their queen, but Tink wasn’t like them. Mona was young. She was wearing the rose colored glasses black girls can wear, but lose after growing up in SouthHell Tower in Chicago. Sooner or later, people like Asher always end up distancing themselves from anyone different than him.
This made their time in the shelter drag. Tink didn’t want to chat and Asher was too busy spreading his genius one light bulb at a time. Mickey was a good guy, but definitely out of his league when paired up with Asher. They should start their own television show, Dumb and Cocky.
“Thanks for pushing me up that hill, buddy.” Harry’s appreciation broke Tink away from his downward attitude.
Yesterday, Tink pushed a luggage cart from the Grand American Hotel for about two miles and up Capitol Hill. His legs were still sore. Despite his lack of trust for everyone, Tink would always stand beside people who were willing to stand beside his sister. Harry, above everyone here, was going to be loyal to Mona Leigh. Tink would do the same, until things changed.
“No problem, you weren’t that heavy,” Tink answered, with a wink.
“Bah! Well, hey… if I knew I was gonna get carried around for the rest of my life… I woulda lost some weight beforehand. But ya know, at least Ben was able to cut my weight down a little,” he laughed, pointing to his missing leg.
“All good, big red.” Tink shook his head. He might not be like anyone here, but Harry’s sense of humor could break down barriers.
*******
Richard “Harry” Harrison
Dark Divide (Shadow and Shine Book 2) Page 6