by Lee Thomas
Aug. 31, 2020
After a fitful sleep, six o'clock came early. I got up, took a quick shower, then dressed and headed out to the pier. Several of the volunteers were on their way at the same time. We walked together, no one really saying anything, but I could tell they were all mentally getting into the right mindset. That was good, and if they stayed sharp, they would stay alive. I heard the loadmaster yelling names out already, guiding each man to the proper ship so we knew where everyone was. I walked up to the loadmaster, who continued barking out names, and pointing to the appropriate ship. Once the last man was headed toward his appropriate ship, I nodded to the loadmaster, who simply nodded back then started back to the carrier. I waved to the ship captains who apparently got my message and were both walking down their gangplanks towards the pier. They both walked up to me, and I passed along the final orders to them.
"Jack, I want you and the Port Royal to head through the bay on the east side. As you make your way north to the canal, measure the depth of the bay and the marinas if possible. I need depth charts for that whole area. You will also fortify the southern bridge, but do it last, on the return trip. Mike, you and the Leyte Gulf stay to the west. You will have the most bridges to take out or fortify, just don't get in a hurry. I want you all safe. If either one of you get a chance to take out some infected along the way, that's fine, but don't put yourselves at risk. I trust both of you to captain these ships and bring your crew home safe. Please don't prove me wrong." I said to them. I then shook both their hands, and watched them both walk back to their ships to finish preparations. Line crews were already in place to cast off the lines in just a little over an hour.
I made my way back to the ship and walked up to the flight deck so I could watch the ships leave. I heard the unmistakable sound of boots on the flight deck behind me.
"You are always like this, you know? You just have to watch them leave, don't you?" Jeff asked as he stepped up beside me.
"I've watched out for this group for over two years now. I accepted the responsibility when I first presented my plan to you at the beginning. It doesn't stop now. This is the start of the final step in my plan for long term survival. After this is done I'll relax." I answered him. I saw Michelle come out of the tower hatch and start walking towards us too.
"Now don't you start in on me too." I said to her as she joined us.
"What? We can't watch the ships leave too? You know there will be more showing up shortly." Michelle told me. All three of us turned and looked at the ships.
"I know. But at least we get first dips on a spot."
"They're casting off." Jeff said. I looked, and sure enough the line crews were tossing the lines aside. I heard the horns sound, and the first ship started moving. Once it had turned and started moving forward towards the bay the second ship started moving. We watched until they had both cleared the bay and we couldn't see them anymore. All three of us turned then and headed back inside. Michelle and Jeff headed down the ladderwell while I went up to the bridge.
"Admiral on deck." said the OOD as we stepped in.
"At ease," I said, "Radio, I want constant contact with both ships. I want status updates every two hours while it's still daylight. If they go off course, or stop responding, I want to be notified immediately. Have the chopper crews prepare the birds, and be on ready ten."
"Yes sir." I left the bridge and went to my office to check my maps one last time. I couldn't see any way to make this easier, or faster, so I let it go.
I then walked out of my office and went to my quarters. I poured myself a small glass of what little whiskey I had left, and settled down on the couch. I sipped the alcohol and thought about what could go wrong. I finished my drink, then decided to walk around some instead. Stepping back into the bridge, I informed the OOD to page me with any status reports with problems, then I just roamed, up this hallway, down this ladderwell, up to the flight deck, down to the hangar bay. I stepped out onto the fantail, an outdoor area aft of the hangar bay. We used it for a fishing platform, and put the grills out there sometimes. We had acquired several really good grills on some of our raids.
I stood there and enjoyed the breeze for a while, then decided to check the weather station again, I didn't like the look of some of those clouds. I walked up the nearest ladderwell to 03 Level, the deck just below the flight deck. I made my way to ready room 3, the weather station. I stepped in and motioned to the lead meteorologist, Jackson Cole. I asked him for an update, and he pulled some papers off a clipboard and motioned me to his office.
"We've been monitoring a system to the southwest. It's not real strong, but we could get some rain from it. What I'm really watching is a tropical storm just north of Cuba, it could potentially turn into a hurricane and make its way up here. If it does, we might be in trouble." Jackson said.
"How strong a possibility?"
"For the hurricane, not much right now. The system close to us, I'm almost certain we will get some rain, probably the day after tomorrow."
"Well, as long as it doesn't cause too severe of thunderstorms we should be fine."
"I'll keep my eyes on it, and let you know if it strengthens."
"Good. Keep it up guys." I said as left the room. I went back up to the flight deck and just stared across the bay. I decided that since I had a few hours of daylight left, I was going to down to the stables and ride a horse for a little bit. I hadn't taken advantage of that little past time in quite a bit, and I thought it would do my stress level some good. I turned and went in to change into some better riding clothes, and get my boots on. I rode one of the electric carts out to the stables and checked in with the stable manager, got my saddle, and picked a horse. I started out at a nice trot, and just rode around for a bit. Since I grabbed my blades, I decided to ride the fence line a little, just to check things out.
I passed several patrols, nodding to or chatting with all of them, noticing no signs of stress or damage anywhere along the wall. The maintenance crews were really doing a good job. I had started to the east, which terminated in the ocean, and ended up at the main, western gate. I spoke with the gate guard captain, Commander Dustin Neal, who actually had quarters out there, so he was always close. Dustin was Jeff's son, but he had proven himself capable to lead, and he watched out for his men, so as far as I knew no one claimed favoritism when I made him guard captain.
"How's it going Dut?" I asked, using his nickname from when he was a kid.
"Not bad. We haven't had any serious attacks in a while, everyone's morale is up, it's all good," he said, running his fingers through his hair. He still preferred the long hair, I think just to irritate his dad, "What are you doing on horseback?"
"Just wanted to get a little riding in. I haven't just relaxed in a while, and as I'm sure you've heard, we started my northern venture today, the ships pulled out this morning, and I'm a little on edge." I explained. Dustin was one of the few I was close enough with to talk to.
"Right on, I gotcha. How's dad doing, he hasn't come down in a while either."
"He's good. So are Michelle, and the girls. I hear Nathan is quite the shot now, and apparently Bug and Lu are becoming quite the little watchers also." I said, Nathan being Dustin's brother, and Bug and Lu being nicknames for their brother Austin and sister Alexis, respectfully.
Dustin chuckled, "Yeah, they are doing well."
"Well, it's getting close to dark, I'm gonna head back to the stables. Be safe, let us know if anything happens."
"You know it." He said with a wave, as I started trotting off. I took the horse back to the stables, brushed him, and headed back to the ship. By the time I made it back it was dark. I parked the cart and walked up the stairs to the elevator. I headed up to my quarters to shower and get some sleep. Tomorrow I would start worrying about the ships.
Chapter 5
Sept. 1, 2020
I woke up the next morning around eight o'clock. After getting dressed and making a quick pot of coffee, I took my travel mug with
me as I walked up to the bridge. I heard the rain on the windows before I got up there.
"We have any status updates on the cruisers?" I asked, before anyone had a chance to acknowledge I was there.
"Yes sir. Nothing out of the ordinary yesterday. The Port Royal has cleared half the marinas along the eastern bay, and sent depth measurements as far as they could go in. They reported no infected contact. The Leyte Gulf also reports no infected contact. They secured the western drawbridge yesterday, and have made it to the first bridge to be destroyed this morning. Both ships report no sign of human occupation." Reported the radio operator on duty.
"Thank you. That's a relief. Any reports from the fence line overnight?"
"No sir, nothing."
Jeff walked in then, and took over the bridge. I stepped over to the window and watched the rain come down. It wasn't a severe thunderstorm, but it was coming down fairly hard.
"Are the fence guards on storm stations?" asked Jeff.
"Not to my knowledge, no sir." answered the OOD.
"You think Dut or Dave was smart enough to put them on stations?" I asked Jeff.
"Dut, probably not. Dave, maybe. Comms, call down to the base command and find out. If they're not, they need to be." Jeff said.
"Have fun. I'm going to check radar, see how long this rain is going to last. Radio, stay in contact with the Port Royal and Leyte Gulf. I want an update at noon." I ordered. I then left the bridge and went down to the weather station. I met Jackson in the hallway headed the same way.
"Morning sir. I assume you know it's raining?" Jackson greeted me as we made our way back to his office.
"Yes, that's why I was coming down. I wanted to see how long it will last, and how far spread it is. This is probably going to hamper the mission I have going."
"Let's take a look." He said as we walked into the main room. "John, put main radar up on the big screen please."
We waited for just a minute while John punched in some commands and the big screen came to life with the current radar. The storm covered most of the visible area, and looked pretty severe in some spots.
"As you can see, it's gonna stick around for a while. We are watching various areas, as we're seeing some rotation, might even be a little hail in it. What we are really worried about though is that hurricane to the south. It has definitely veered north, has increased in strength to a Category 2 already, and is just south of Florida. It could potentially be a Category 3 or 4 by the time it gets here." Jackson explained, as he pointed out several areas in the current storm, and then changed the screen to show me the hurricane. It was big alright. We would definitely have to watch that. I thanked Jackson then went out and headed to my little get away spot. It was an old magazine, which means it stored ammunition. It was on the 02 Level, which means two levels above the hangar bay, all the way aft on the port, or left, side. It was out of the way, so it was usually quiet. Plus, it has an outer hatch I could open and enjoy the air and the rain without getting soaked. With only one other room down this short hallway, I was seriously considering making it my permanent quarters on board, let Jeff have the captains' cabin.
I opened the hatch into the room and stepped in. Since it no longer held ammo, I had it turned into a bunkroom for me. I had a bunk, a locker, a desk, and a TV with my PlayStation hooked up. It was my downtime hide away. I left the door open, in case anyone came looking for me. I stepped to the back wall and opened the outer hatch. The wind blew a small amount of mist in, but it wasn't bad enough to shut it. I sat at my desk and listened to the storm. We needed the rain, badly, so I was glad for it. I just sat and listened, and thought, waiting for news from the cruisers, hoping it all ended well.
After a while I looked and saw it was almost noon. I shut the outer hatch, closed the door, went to the galley and grabbed a sandwich, then headed back up to the bridge. As I walked in, I saw Jeff looking back and forth from a map and a report in front of him.
"What's up?" I asked. It looked intriguing from his level of concentration.
"Look at this." he said, pushing the report towards me. I picked it up and read. It was from the Port Royal.
From Port Royal to Nimitz
Current position is 37.932315, -75.381442. Patrolling north taking depth readings and searching marinas, contact was made with a small group of survivors who have secured an apartment complex with a private pier. Depth soundings indicate it is not deep enough for the Port Royal, but only just. We have anchored as close in as possible and are assessing situation. Please update with orders to proceed.
"I told them to secure that area, let the survivors know we will send food and ammo, but to continue their mission. Here is the complex, I think. I have Comms getting new satellite pictures to confirm, but if this is it, it's a nice forward base once we start securing that area." Jeff said, showing me the map. It was indeed a decent sized complex, which meant it should have its own generator. With its own pier we could transfer food, people, and supplies there fairly easily.
"Is that a helipad on the side?" I asked, noticing the large square. If so, the traditional signal letter H was no longer there, but that would make things easier if it was.
"Looks like it to me," Jeff confirmed, "I'll have Radio ask them, the Port Royal was supposed to set up a radio for them to contact us, they should be about done. Hopefully we will be able to speak with them soon."
"Perfect. OOD, have the chopper ready, I'm going. Call Tony and have a team ready to go with me, as well as a welcome basket with some food stuffs." I said as I headed down to my quarters to get ready.
I was almost dressed and had all my blades in place when I heard a knock on the door.
"Enter." I said, and the one of the yeoman, or secretaries/message runners came in.
"Sir, the Port Royal has sent a new message. They were unable to get the radio to work with the new group's current power supply, so Capt. Neal ordered them to stay on station until your helicopter arrives, in case the helipad isn't accessible. He also ordered two engineers with solar panel equipment be loaded on the Gettysburg for them. The ship should be ready for cast off within the hour. He also ordered additional food and ammo stores loaded."
"Excellent. Thank you for the update. Tell him I am almost ready. I expect to be wheels up in no more than ten minutes."
"Yes sir." Said the yeoman. I believe his name was Tommy. As he left to relay my orders, I finished getting ready, then headed up to the flight deck. I stepped through the hatch and saw the team standing there next to the chopper. The pilot had just finished his preflight checks and was winding up the engines.
"Load up!" Tony yelled from behind me. I turned my head and watched him walk up with his gear. He walked past me, nodding, and started barking out orders to his men. We all loaded up in the chopper and got buckled up. As soon as we were all set the pilot looked back at me. I gave the thumbs up and we took off.
We headed northeast over the bay, passing the tip of the area we were securing. Once over the eastern bay, we turned north and followed the shoreline. We were low enough we could see if there were any signs of infected presence. Other than the usual signs of neglect, and disuse, we saw nothing to catch our attention.
"Five minutes." the pilot informed us. Tony's men started checking weapons and armor. We were planning for the worst, just in case. It sounded paranoid, but it's kept us alive for this long.
We came up to the apartments and circled, looking at the helipad. It looked clear enough to land. I ordered the pilot to land, but keep the engines running in case any infected were close by. We landed on the pad, and started unloading. Tony's men immediately set a perimeter around the chopper. As we finished unloading, we saw a man walking towards us. He waved to us, and motioned for us to follow.
"Hello. My name is Allen. Ethan, the one I guess you could say is in charge here, asked me to come out and get you. He is down on the dock with the captain of your ship. We have a fence surrounding the property, so your men don’t need to guard your chopper so close
ly. Follow me please." He then turned and started towards the building. We followed, looking around and seeing what they had.
"As you can see, we have limited power here, so very few lights are on, especially during the day. We don't really use anything above the third floor." Allen explained to us. We walked up to a set of French doors and walked into a lobby area. Allen led us to the rear of the building and we exited into a sunny, covered patio area. It looked like it was plush at one point, and was still clean, but apparently had been neglected for a while. We passed through the patio and headed towards a path that appeared to lead down towards the dock. As we went down the incline, I saw the pier stretch out in front of us. It was fairly impressive for an apartment complex. Several large sailboats were still docked there, but there were empty spots. I saw Captain Phillips standing there with who I assumed to be Ethan, the leader we were looking for. Then Jack saw me, and waved to us.
"This is Ethan, our leader." Allen said as we approached them, and then stepped aside.
"Hello. I didn’t know there were any other survivors around here. We haven't been able to go search much, but I assumed we would have run into people somewhere along the line." Ethan said, shaking my hand.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Sheldon, the leader of our group. Jack, please check if the Gettysburg has left yet. If not, inform them they need to send medical supplies and personnel also, along with the food and ammo. Once they have confirmed they are headed this way, you may continue your original mission." I said, essentially dismissing Jack. I really did want them to finish their mission so we can secure this land.