“Nelson, I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to say it,” Gerald said, putting his hands on his hips.
“No, you can’t have Devin,” Nelson said, spinning the dial on the lock.
Gerald laughed. “No, I want to move your machining stuff inside the berm. You’re right; that alone will give us assets and a skill set to trade with, but without that equipment, it doesn’t mean much.”
Pausing the next spin of the lock, Nelson slowly looked up. “You want to build a machine shop inside the berm?” he said, and Gerald nodded. “It’s starting to get crowded in here now, and we still have two greenhouses to build, and if Ronald stays, we have to build him a cabin.”
“I’m sorry, but his cabin is a low priority,” Gerald said, shaking his head. “Bernard has already said they will stay upstairs in one of the empty bedrooms. I think this machine shop takes priority over even the greenhouses since we have the garden now plus food stores. We can build them before winter to keep fresh food coming in. If we get hit, that equipment will be damaged if it stays in the barn.”
“Just where in the hell did you plan on putting it?”
“In the front yard, buried with a ramp so we could drive that track steer down there to move stuff,” Gerald said.
“Just how big are you talking about?”
“I think that machine shop we took that stuff from was a nice size.”
“Gerald, that thing was an easy three thousand square feet.”
“Yeah, that’s what Bernard said,” Gerald said, nodding. “He said we have enough cement to do the post and ramp, but the floor would have to be two-inch boards, and the machines we could set on sheets of metal.”
Looking back down at the lock, Nelson gave it a final spin and it clicked open. “You’re talking a week of hard work on something we don’t have time for right now. I’m not saying you don’t have a point, but come on.”
“We’re bringing the chickens inside tomorrow. They are too easy to steal, and we’ve seen too many packs of wild dogs around. Bernard is also going to start bringing all the cows up to the pen by the barn at night. He said the horses could take care of themselves.”
Opening the doors, Nelson sighed. “You really think this is necessary?”
“Yes, and we should’ve thought about it before. If we lose our food supply animals or a viable trade, your machine shop, we are going to be hard pressed here.”
Walking in the container, Nelson nodded. “If the others agree, I’ll draw up some plans tonight.”
Gerald moved over and saw Nelson walking down a small aisle in the middle of the container. On each side were massive shelves with hundreds of bays that went from ceiling to floor. “Yeah, you and Michelle really need to do my stuff.”
“You have shelves in some of your containers. I helped you build them last year. They aren’t in your yard, so I trust you put them in,” Nelson said, pulling down a storage bin and carrying it out.
“Yeah, but yours are neat and organized.”
“How many containers do you have behind your cabin?”
“Nine.”
Nelson handed the bin to Gerald. “I knew you had more than me,” he said, closing the container and locking it.
“I got mine for free,” he grinned.
“Suck me sideways,” Nelson said, heading for the stairs.
When they walked in, everyone was at the table waiting for them. “What the hell did you pull out?” Michelle asked, shaking her head.
“Gerald wanted to see the quad copter,” Nelson said as Gerald put the bin down, and they both shook the water off.
“Can I fly it, Dad?” Gavin asked with excitement.
“Not now,” Nelson smiled, sitting down.
Ronald cleared his throat. “I talked it over with the kids, and if you’ll have us, we would like to stay.”
Bernard stood up and raised his tea glass. “Welcome to the family,” he said, and everyone raised their glass, toasting in the new members of the family.
Chapter Ten
Nelson was standing at the bridge as the mini excavator was working on a hill fifty yards off the road behind him. Bernard was digging a guard bunker on the hill so they could have a fighting position at the one easy access point. He looked down at the creek, and it was now over six feet deep from the series of dams they had put in. The deep gully that the creek ran through now looked like a small, slow-moving river.
For the last few weeks, both farms busted ass as summer started taking hold. A new building was buried in the yard for the machine shop, and all the equipment was moved in after Ronald wired up the underground building. All the cameras were up, and Nelson went over with Bernard to Hank’s farm. Using the mini excavator, they dug out the small stream and set up a Pelton wheel turbine that generated three thousand watts. Hauling fuel tanks from the farms around them took up most nights, but now, Hank’s farm had three, and Nelson’s group added two more to Bernard’s farm.
Going over in his mind all they had done and all the more they had to do, Ronald walked up to Nelson with an AR across his chest. “That is a great spot for a bunker,” he said, watching Bernard dig the hole just under the top of the hill.
“Yeah, when we can, we’ll start cutting down the barbwire fences around us and just throw them in the water. That alone will slow down and discourage someone to jump their ass in.” Nelson grinned as a truck from Hank’s farm pulled up loaded with lumber.
Ronald nodded as he looked down the dirt road. “Between you and me, you still plan on hitting that roadblock?”
“Yeah, a military checkpoint in Van Buren is just a little too close to home.”
Shaking his head, Ronald glanced at Nelson. “They have armor.”
“Yep,” Nelson grinned. “Gerald, Michelle, and I snuck down there night before last. It only looks to be about fifty troops there and a few law enforcement.”
“Quite a bit more than we have,” Ronald huffed.
“Hit fast and bug out, baby,” Nelson chuckled. “Besides, we’ll be hitting them from the other side of Van Buren.”
Hearing the mini excavator’s engine change pitch, Ronald glanced up to see Bernard backing away from the hole. “What do you plan on doing with the prisoners there?”
“Let them go,” Nelson said as several people moved over to the truck and trailer and carried up lumber to the hole. “Can’t bring them here, and with the prisoners running around, the government boys can’t look for us.”
Ronald let out a small sigh. “Yeah, about what I figured, but I understand.” Hearing the sigh, Nelson glanced over at him. “I’m just saying,” Ronald said. “We can break them out for their freedom, but they have to earn it to keep it.”
Impressed, Nelson nodded. “Nice way to put it, Ronald.”
“Still don’t like it though.”
“Hey, me either, but we can’t save everyone,” Nelson said as Gerald walked over.
Seeing the solemn look on Ronald’s face, Gerald stopped. “What the hell are you two talking about to have worries like that on your face?”
“Can’t save everyone,” Ronald said with a sigh.
“You’re right on that,” Gerald said, moving over beside Nelson.
“They need help?” Nelson asked, lifting his chin toward the group working on the bunker.
“No and even if they did Hank’s group is going to build it,” Gerald said, shaking his head. “We’ve taken enough time off our task.”
“We had planned on building that bunker,” Nelson said.
“True, but we have put it off helping Hank get power, cut lumber on the sawmill, put up fences, and train them,” Gerald said, glancing over his shoulder. “They have got to start pulling their weight to let us catch up on our tasks.”
“So I take it you still want to move out tonight and set up to hit the checkpoint tomorrow night?”
“Hell yes,” Gerald said, turning back to Nelson. “Before they reinforce or move closer to us. That group can easily be turned into a
forward operating base.”
Looking over at Ronald, Nelson lowered his sunglasses to gaze over the top of them. “You good with the plan?”
“With what we have and the numbers, the plan is great. I’m just worried about them looking around after the attack,” Ronald said with a shrug.
“That’s why the main group is hitting them from the other side of town,” Gerald said and looked up at the clear, blue sky. “Just wish the Free States could do more to keep drones out of the air.”
“Hell, I’m just happy that they’re fighting. They could just try to negotiate,” Nelson said, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. “At least the feds have to worry about big shit coming at them.”
Ronald gave a grunt. “Yeah, but once again, Americans are fighting Americans.”
“Shit brother, the other side has always been killing us off. Locking up Americans without due process, letting agencies experiment on the population… Hell, I could go on for hours,” Nelson said, shaking his head. “Now, the population is fighting back.”
“Boys,” Gerald chuckled. “You two are worrying about the skyscrapers; let’s worry about the nuts and bolts. We can’t change the big picture, but we can influence what’s around us.”
Nelson nodded. “Yep, hard for the machine to run if you keep taking the little cogs out.”
Gerald walked up to the bridge and looked down at the creek. “Have to admit, Nelson, that was a good idea to raise the water level up.”
“Not much of a barrier, but I’ll take all I can get to slow down an attack.”
Ronald followed Nelson over to the bridge. “You’re still taking Gavin?”
“He can drive those remote controlled cars better than I can, and I can only drive one at a time,” Nelson said with a sigh. “He’ll be out of the way, I assure you.”
Gerald turned around with a grin. “Your jaw okay?”
“Yeah,” Nelson said, rubbing the left side of his face. “Knew that would piss off Michelle but didn’t think she would deck me.”
“Shit, I thought she was about to pull her pistol and cap your ass,” Gerald laughed.
Nodding as he raised his eyebrows, Nelson chuckled, “So did I.”
“Let’s get back to the farm and load up,” Gerald said, heading to the UTVs.
As Nelson climbed behind the steering wheel, he looked over at Gerald. “Gerald, I still say we need a better recon of the area.”
“Jesus. You, Michelle, and I scouted them out for five hours. Just how much more recon you want?”
“Another night,” Nelson said, starting the side by side. “I just find it hard to believe they only have one overlook, and it’s a mile away. That hill we are using on the east side of the Current River is overlooking the entire site. I just find it hard to believe they would leave it unmanned.”
“Nelson, they have an M1 Abrams and a Stryker on the west side sitting on the abutment of the bridge. Those two can cover that hill. What you are calling an overlook is an observation post watching Highway 60 from the west. It’s only one Humvee with a few troops. They are setting up to corral, limit movement and detain, not engage.”
“We still need to look at the fording spot again. It’s been a year since we were there. Hell, just watching them for a whole night, we can nail down all their movements,” Nelson said, driving down the road heading to the farm. “They aren’t going anywhere, so what’s the rush to take them out?”
“Before they reinforce,” Gerald said as Nelson pulled into the farm. “Any bigger and we can only harass them, not wipe them out.”
Stomping the brakes and skidding to a stop, Nelson leaned forward, looking at Gerald. “The resort they are using to house the troops is really fucking big, Gerald. The bomb you made for that R/C isn’t going to take it out. We aren’t going to wipe them out.”
“Never was the plan,” Gerald said with a smile. “That’s just to damage the structure until we get the FLYERS pulled up on the attack hill on the east side. With a fifty cal GAU and a mini gun, we will destroy that building. We just have to take out the M1 and Stryker; those are your over watches.”
“I still think we need more recon,” Nelson said, getting out.
As their radios went off with Nellie calling out lunch was ready, Gerald climbed out, slinging his rifle. “What has you so worried? I’ve done shit like this hundreds of times.”
Ronald climbed out as Nelson came to a stop and turned to face Gerald. “Our family is going to be attacking this, not combat troops, Gerald. I know it’s a risk just being alive now, but I think we should put in more reconnaissance. I don’t think we need to rush the attack; we are in no hurry,” Nelson said.
“He has a good point, Gerald,” Ronald said, nodding.
“I just don’t want them spreading out and discovering the weakness we have spotted,” Gerald replied with a sigh.
“They may have already, Gerald. We were there two nights ago,” Nelson said. “I want to attack them, but I want as many of the odds in our favor as we can get.”
Gerald looked off, thinking. Nelson crossed his arms to wait as Ronald moved up beside him. Finally, Gerald turned to them. “You’re right; we are basing an attack on old intelligence,” Gerald said. “Let’s get the group together. You and I will head out and watch the area tonight; then, they can come down tomorrow night, set up, and attack them the next.”
Nelson nodded. “If you would’ve wanted to continue, we would’ve attacked.”
“I know,” Gerald sighed. “But you’re right. Our human resources are limited, and we need to safeguard them.”
Nelson took off his AR, handing it to Ronald. “Hold this,” he said, turning to face Gerald. “Refer to my fucking family again as ‘human resources’ one more time. I fucking dare ya.”
Gerald threw up his hands. Seeing the look in Nelson’s eyes that he was about to attack, Gerald stepped back. “Damn it, Nelson, you know what I meant,” Gerald snapped. “My God, if you think I don’t love everyone here, I’ll drop gear now.”
Letting out a long breath through his nose, Nelson grabbed his rifle from Ronald. “I was just about to take away your visitation rights to Devin.”
Stepping back up, Gerald dropped his hands. “Not funny,” he growled.
“Wasn’t meant to be,” Nelson said, hearing the front door of the house open.
They looked up to see Michelle walking out carrying Devin. “Whoa, what did I interrupt?” she asked, seeing the tense faces.
“Changing plans,” Nelson said as Devin held out his hands to Gerald. “Hey, soccer ball head, what about Daddy?”
Gerald reached out, taking Devin. “Hey, bubble warrior.”
Nelson looked at his watch then closed his eyes, making some calculations. Satisfied, he looked over at Michelle. “Two weeks from now, you and I are taking a day or two off,” he told her.
Confused, Michelle started running things through her mind, trying to figure out what would happen in two weeks. When it hit her, Michelle’s eyes got big. “You have it down to memory.”
“Yeah,” Nelson snorted. “There is a certain time for you that it’s no touchy for me. Believe me, I mark that time.”
Totally lost, Ronald shook his head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” they said together.
Leaning over, Michelle kissed Nelson. “What changes are you making for the attack?” she asked, rubbing her nose across his.
“More recon,” Nelson said, hugging her.
“Thank God,” Michelle sighed.
Moving his AR under his arm, Gerald set Devin on his hip. “Yeah, Nelson convinced me we don’t need to rush this attack.”
“Let’s eat,” Michelle said, grabbing Nelson’s hand. “Do you still think we need to take Gavin?”
Letting go of her hand, Nelson took several steps away from her. “Yes, baby, he drives those damn remote cars better than I do. That is a big part of our plan. If we don’t take out the armor, we can’t attack,” he s
aid carefully, watching Michelle’s hands.
With a sad face, Michelle stared at him. “We have Javelins. We can take them out if the R/C cars don’t work out.”
Slumping his shoulders, Nelson looked down. “We’ll figure out another way.”
When Nelson dropped his shoulders, Michelle lunged over, hugging him before he even spoke, knowing he was giving in. “Thank you, baby,” she said, kissing him. “I know he’s going to have to fight, but I want to put it off as long as I can.”
“I know. So do I,” Nelson said, hugging her back.
“Then why suggest it?”
“Because he wasn’t going to fight. Gavin was going to drive the remote cars.”
“Men plan while God laughs,” Michelle said, pulling Nelson toward the house.
“Babe, it’s not like I felt good about wanting to bring him,” Nelson said as she opened the door. “I hated it, but I wanted to give us every edge we could get.” Ronald and Gerald followed them inside but weren’t going to join the discussion on either side.
When Michelle stopped in the living room, she grabbed Nelson’s hand, and Ronald and Gerald walked past her to the kitchen. “I understand, but I couldn’t fight at a hundred percent knowing he was there. Could you?”
“Yes because he was going to be a mile away tucked in a ravine,” Nelson said. “But if you couldn’t fight at a hundred percent, then he can’t come. Not having you there isn’t negotiable.”
Relieved, Michelle kissed him. “I tried,” she said in a low voice.
“I know,” Nelson grinned. “You didn’t shoot me.”
Laughing, Michelle looked away. “The only reason I didn’t was I didn’t want to tell the kids I capped Daddy.”
After lunch, Nelson pulled his four-wheeler to the front of his cabin and hooked up a small trailer. With Gavin and Michelle’s help, he loaded it and drove over to Gerald’s cabin. When he stopped, Gerald came out carrying a box. “Nancy assures me your frequencies won’t set them off,” he said, putting the box in the trailer.
“Didn’t think of that,” Nelson mumbled as Gerald went back inside.
“Meet you at the front gate!” he yelled from inside the house.
Forgotten Forbidden America:: Patriots Reborn Page 22