Determination

by Nathan Jones

  The enemy found themselves pinned between US troops in vehicles and defensive emplacements they'd been breaking themselves against all day, and quickly crumbled under the pressure. Although Lassiter reported losses an order of magnitude greater than those defending the mountains, his bold action completely destroyed the enemy assault along the southern stretch of their territory.

  As darkness fell the General continued his advance up the valleys to the east and west, and the defensive positions he'd saved had begun sending their spare fighters north through the mountains to bolster other fronts.

  The fighting died down with nightfall. The blockheads had already discovered that night attacks went poorly for them, and while Lassiter and his vehicles had enough light to continue fighting, the enemy had started to pull back and regroup to face him, seriously on the defensive for the first time since the war began. He couldn't keep pushing against that sort of fortified resistance, so he had his troops dig in and prepare their own defenses for the next day's fighting.

  It took a long time for Matt to fall asleep that night, and from the tense way Sam lay motionless in his arms she wasn't having any more luck. Any conversation they tried fizzled out in the tension, and they both strained to hear the sounds of fighting in the night, even though tucked in the valley refuge they were far enough away that almost no noise of combat had reached them. For a while they found other ways to distract themselves from their fears, and that intimacy provided a welcome comfort. But it only lasted for so long, and afterwards they fell right back into silent worrying.

  Sam finally fell asleep in his arms, her tenseness fading away and her breathing softening into light snores. Somehow, feeling his wife finally relax eased some of Matt's own worry, and he was also able to sink down into fitful sleep.

  * * * * *

  After the enemy had withdrawn early in the afternoon, following the landslide and once again being thrown back down 31 to the mouth of the canyon, Davis gave everyone who seriously needed the rest a chance to get it.

  That included Lewis, Jane, and their squads, who'd been up all night and fighting all morning. They'd gratefully jumped at the offer, collapsing into their tents in the newly built camp on the ridge and letting exhaustion take them.

  The enemy only gave them four or so hours before starting up again, and Lewis felt like he'd barely gotten any rest at all as he and his wife dragged themselves out of their tent. He emerged into the late afternoon sunlight, shivering slightly at the chilly wind blowing across the ridge, to the news that the blockheads were gathering below for another attack.

  But it didn't turn out to be as bad as he'd feared. The enemy was very cautious about approaching them, both up the southern slope and in the canyon, after the brutal losses they'd suffered earlier. So while there was light fighting throughout the rest of the day, it seemed mostly like blockheads were trying to keep them occupied. They probably hoped their fellow soldiers on other fronts would win the war for them.

  After nightfall hostilities almost entirely ceased, and Davis ordered his squad leaders to place double sentries and send everyone else to bed. He wanted his people rested for whatever happened in the morning.

  He also warned them that they'd probably be going on the offensive at first light. General Lassiter had nearly fought his way to their position, and when he did Davis wanted them ready. They would either strike out into the valley and harass the enemy to keep them occupied, helping the General's advance, or if it looked like Lassiter was holding his own then they'd hike as many people as they could spare northward, going through the mountains to help Faraday and the squads closer to Aspen Hill.

  Lewis had expected to sleep poorly, but his exhaustion was enough to pull him down and keep him under. He barely had time to kiss his wife goodnight before passing out, and next thing he knew Jane was once again shaking him awake.

  “Has Davis sent word?” he mumbled, peering through the open door flap. It was still dark outside. “Are we attacking or heading north?”

  His wife was a pale silhouette in the darkness, her coppery hair looking black next to her face and neck. She hadn't put on her gear yet aside from her night vision goggles, as if she'd just ducked outside to use the latrine or look around. “Neither,” she whispered. “Come see.”

  “See what?” he asked, reaching for his shoes, but she was already gone.

  He made an annoyed sound. Jane almost never played coy, and when she did it was usually by accident. If there was information to share she shared it, she didn't hold it back to increase the suspense or make it a surprise. So either her nature had completely changed overnight, or she was so distracted by whatever it was that she'd barely taken the time to give him a heads up before heading back out.

  He pulled on his own goggles and grabbed his binoculars, then slipped out of the tent. His wife was already halfway to the edge of the ridge, and he hurried to catch up to her as she climbed up a slight rise to a spot that gave them a view of Huntington. As he stepped up beside her she pointed down at the town. Lewis lifted his binoculars, then drew in a sharp breath.

  The blockheads were leaving.

  Half the convoy that had occupied the town had already driven off, and from the looks of it the rest would be gone within the hour. They'd pulled back all the sentries and patrols and soldiers manning emplacements in the surrounding area to the town itself, although it looked as if they'd man Huntington's fortifications there right up until the moment they left, just in case.

  They were still cautious, even though Lewis and Davis hadn't had too many opportunities to attack into the valley lately, and had never hit the town. Caution was just common sense, but even so he liked to think that he and the sergeant had made an impression. One the enemy wouldn't soon forget.

  “Are they pulling back ahead of Lassiter's advance, you think?” Jane asked. “Maybe relocating to attack somewhere else?”

  Lewis could only shake his head in response. But whatever they were doing, he couldn't see how it was anything but good news for him and his volunteers. He thumbed his mic. “Halsson here. Sergeant Davis, you seeing this?”

  The radio was silent for almost ten seconds before the sergeant replied in a curt tone. “Wait one, Halsson.”

  “Lewis?” Rick said over the Aspen Hill volunteers' channel, he was one of the four sentries Trev had put out. “Do you think this is it?”

  Lewis frowned. “Is what it?”

  “You know. It. The blockheads are leaving, Canada's in open revolt and they're not getting any supplies, and they've got an entire country with a hostile populace they're trying to occupy. Are they finally giving up? Did we win?”

  Lewis watched as another dozen trucks left Huntington, headed north. The rest of the convoy was nearly ready to go, and the soldiers manning the fortifications had begun a swift but orderly retreat to meet up with the vehicles. Behind them houses began to burn, first a few dozen and then more and more, until nearly the entire town was ablaze.

  A parting gift from the blockheads, and a clear signal they had no intention of returning. With a surge of anger he wondered if the enemy was doing the same up in Aspen Hill.

  As the tense minutes passed while they waited for news, the sentries abandoned their posts and began waking up everyone in camp, inviting them to watch the blockheads leave and Huntington burn. Lewis hadn't ordered it, but he didn't stop them either. He was feeling more and more confident that this wasn't the enemy repositioning. Something about how they left, the burning town being an obvious clue, just had an air of finality.

  Finally Davis spoke up over the radio. “All right, people, it's confirmed. The blockheads are withdrawing along every front they still hold. They're packing up and heading north, for now, with fully half their army on foot.”

  The sergeant paused, his tone becoming less professional and more solemn. “For those of you who live in the area, I regret to inform you that they're setting fire to every town and city they occupied. I'm sorry. But take that bad news with the much better n
ews that they're finally leaving. We fought them back.”

  Lewis felt a pang at hearing his fears confirmed about the fate of Aspen Hill. But even that couldn't stop the swell of elation at the news, and he threw back his head and whooped in victory.

  Around him friends and family also raised their voices in deafening cheers, slapping backs and hugging each other. Lewis thought he spied Alice and Rick sharing a kiss, right before Jane pulled him into a kiss of their own.

  He got to enjoy it for only a few seconds before Trev nearly tackled him to the ground, hooking an arm around his neck and shouting gleefully in his ear. Lewis freed himself with some effort, turning towards the camp they'd hastily set up along the ridge. In the distance he could hear shouts from the north and south as well, people in the main camp and from the squads south of them joining the celebration.

  “Hey!” he shouted. “If anyone's still sleeping over there, you just missed the end of the war! We won!”

  He threw his arms around Trev's and Jane's shoulders, then leaned in to kiss his wife again before repeating himself. “We won!”

  * * * * *

  “The war's not over by a long shot,” Davis said grimly. “This may be a victory but it's not the victory. We bled the blockheads heavily here, more than I ever expected they'd put up with without giving up and walking away, but they've still got the numbers to cause us problems. We have to take advantage of this victory and push them every step of their retreat, keep them on the back foot and make sure they never get any ideas about sticking around or giving this war another try.”

  Lewis nodded. The sergeant had called all the volunteer leaders in for a briefing after delivering the good news. And since the Aspen Hill volunteers were some of the closest Lewis was one of the first to be invited into the command tent. “Until they go back to Canada, right?” he verified.

  Davis sighed. “If we can manage that. Although the Canadians helped us win this war with their revolution, and it might not be the worst idea to help them win theirs. It would keep the blockheads from creating a country to the north, which would almost definitely cause us problems in the future. But yes, for the moment we're just trying to retake our country and defend it. If they want to fight us on our turf that's on their heads, but we're not in any position to go looking for a fight. Even if we might want to.”

  An uncomfortable silence settled as the Marine fell into grim thoughts. “So the military will be going after them immediately?” Lewis asked.

  The sergeant snorted. “It's what we planned from the start if we were able to drive the enemy back. We won't just chase them, though; as important as that is, we also need to go liberate our occupied territories. That'll require collaborating with any remaining groups of Americans left out there, hitting the blockheads that try to dig in instead of running like we want. We need to keep up the momentum until they skitter over our borders with their tails between their legs.”

  That sounded nice, but Lewis could see an obvious problem. “Will you be able to do all that before nuclear winter hits?”

  “Doubt it,” Davis said with a grimace. “We'll just have to hope we fight better in the cold than they do. With how big their army is supplies are definitely going to be a bigger issue for them, especially once we can start hitting at their supply lines.”

  Lewis took a deep breath. Now for the million dollar question. “And what about us?”

  The sergeant's frowned deepened. “Are you saying you want to bail?”

  “Not exactly. We volunteered and made a commitment to fight, and I don't want to go back on that.” After a brief hesitation Lewis continued. “At the same time we have no idea how long this nuclear winter is going to last, and what it's going to do to the world. The people of Aspen Hill are going to need our help to survive. I've got to think of my family, my wife and parents and siblings and everyone else I have responsibility for.”

  “I get it,” Davis said in a slightly milder tone. “I'll be honest, we can use you. But at the same time we're going to be relying on guerrilla warfare to keep up the fight. Disrupting supply, ambushes, attacking camps in the night, stealing whatever we can from our enemies to use against them, things like that. Numbers will help there, too, but not as much as training and commitment.”

  Lewis waited, feeling equal parts guilty and hopeful, until Davis swore. “Yeah, I'll cut your guys loose, Halsson. If nothing else it'll be nice to know we have people holding these mountains in case the blockheads are interested in making another try. And anyway we'll be leaving plenty of troops behind to look over the civilians we've gathered.”

  The sergeant offered his hand, and Lewis returned his crushing grip. Then Davis led the way outside, looking around to see if any more leaders had shown up. “I've got to say,” he began, looking around the canyon, “I'm actually going to miss this place. Fire damage and all those trees dead from beetles aside, you've got some amazing views around here. I actually wouldn't mind coming back and just-”

  He abruptly cut off as a thumping noise reached their ears, at the same time as Lewis's headset crackled with a panicked voice. “Helicopter coming in from the south!”

  Davis cursed and looked around. “One last word from our enemies? I can't believe Command never sent us those anti-air missiles like I requested!” He swore again. “I guess we'll just have to bring it down with small arms fire or die trying.”

  “Hold on.” Lewis grabbed the man's shoulder, pointing. The helicopter had just come into view from the south, moving fast towards the northeast. It was far out of range and getting farther by the second. “Looks like it's leaving like the rest of the blockheads.”

  He felt the sergeant relax. “Looks like it.” Davis shook his hand off and sighed. “Too bad, in a way. I wouldn't have minded being the one to bring that sucker down.”

  Together they watched the chopper shrink to a black speck and disappear. Then Davis turned to him and offered his hand. “Well, I imagine your people want to celebrate. Or maybe just immediately pack up to head home, like we'll be packing up to go after the enemy. Either way it's been a pleasure, Halsson.”

  “It has, Sarge,” Lewis shook again. “Good hunting.”

  “Same to you. If you would, ask Smith to come around before either of us leaves so I can say goodbye.” Davis turned and ducked back into the command tent, leaving Lewis to make his way back to his volunteers.

  The mood of the camp was slightly tense when Lewis arrived, with everyone waiting for him: Ben's and Gutierrez's squads had rejoined them once they were sure the blockheads were leaving for good.

  “So?” Rick demanded, a few others murmuring their agreement of the question.

  “The military plans to follow the blockheads and harass them from here to the Canadian border if they have to.” Lewis waited, seeing the tense looks on his friends' faces. They were as tired of fighting as he was, and while everyone was glad the Gold Bloc was retreating he doubted many were eager to follow them and keep up this war.

  He didn't want to keep them in suspense too long. “However, the military is cutting loose a lot of the volunteers. They want their experienced soldiers waging this guerrilla war, so we're free to go home with his thanks for our service.”

  The squads erupted in cheers, nearly as exuberant as when they'd seen the Gold Bloc forces leaving earlier, which quickly became handshakes and backslaps, and even hugs as the tense mood vanished in a spontaneous celebration. Lewis finally let his own grin escape and headed over to join them, mobbed with his own share of handshakes and backslaps.

  They were going home.

  * * * * *

  Of all his celebrating squad mates, Trev noticed that Deb and Grant weren't taking part. Grant had always been a bit reserved and was off on his own, obviously still mentally recovering from what they'd just been through, but Deb was sitting near the others looking troubled and ignoring the nearby conversations.

  He'd expected her to be with Alice, but the blond young woman was with Rick and the two were in a world
of their own. Whatever Alice had shared with Pete, it looked as if she'd made her choice now.

  Trev made his way over to Deb, dropping onto the other end of the log she was sitting on. “Hey.”

  She looked up and tried to smile. “Oh, hey.”

  “Everything okay?”

  The brown-haired woman nodded unconvincingly. “We won. The blockheads are running with their tails between their legs. Everything couldn't be better.” Trev nodded, unconvinced, and waited. Sure enough after about half a minute of silence she continued in a quiet voice. “I just wish I knew what to do now.”

  He wasn't quite sure what she meant. “Are you thinking of going with the military to harry the retreating armies?”

  Deb turned to eye him, almost looking hurt. “I've considered it,” she admitted. “I wouldn't mind getting a bit more payback for what they did to me and the others, and the people from Newtown they killed.” She sighed and looked away. “But that's just a small part of me. I'm mostly just tired. Now that it's over I want it to stay over, even if I don't know what else to do.”

  Ah. Trev had been thinking of her as part of the squad, to the point that he'd assumed she'd come back to Aspen Hill with them. If that was what she wanted. But he'd never actually told her that, so he supposed she wouldn't know. “You know we're all heading back to rejoin our people and prepare for the winter,” he said quietly.

  She nodded, giving him another slightly hurt look. “Yeah. I heard.”

  “You're part of the squad, you and Grant. I'd sort of assumed you'd come with us, if that's what you want.”

  Deb's face lit up, a lot of her worry vanishing beneath a sheepish smile. “I'd hoped you'd invite me, but I was too afraid to ask.”

  Trev smiled back. “It's a good community. Good people. You've earned that.” He stood up and started to rest a friendly hand on her shoulder, then hesitated.