Project Terminus

by Nathan Combs

  “The bastard is also the governor of the outlying villages. He’ll get his soon, but here’s what’s important. They don’t search anyone coming or going, and that includes saddlebags and backpacks or anything else you might be carrying. Getting in and out of Fort Hope will be a snap. So let’s hope—no pun intended—that the good citizens enjoy their peace and tranquility, because it’s about to come to a crashing fucking halt.

  “Horst, select six people to check out the three villages and report back no later than the day after tomorrow. You know the type of information we need. See that they get it.”

  She withheld the info Heather gave her about the Special Ops guys and their families visiting Fort Hope frequently, and Coltrane—who Nina was positive was the bastard responsible for murdering her people—coming to Fort Hope every other week. That meant they probably used the same route when traveling between the two forts, and she wanted to sleep on what to do with that information before sharing it. She might not be able to assault them in their lair, but she could damned well plan a little surprise party for them somewhere along the way.

  She started humming the old Roy Rogers “Happy Trails” song as Olivia and Heather accompanied her back to their suite of rooms.

  Olivia said, “That’s a catchy little tune, Nina. What is that?”

  She smiled and said, “Oh, just something that popped into my mind. It’s an end of life song.”

  The next morning she explained to Cougar and Horst about Coltrane’s weekly trips between Fort Hope and Fort Terminus. She told Cougar to send three two-man teams to watch the road they traveled and document the number of people traveling the route and the times they traveled, if they’re using an advance scout, and anything else they found interesting.

  The six man team returned the following day after completing their recon of the outlying villages. The level of security at all three was even less than Fort Hope’s. Anyone could enter and leave at any time, and no badges were necessary. Nina called another staff meeting.

  “We’re almost ready,” she said. “As soon as Cougar’s scouts report back, we’re going to bring a world of hurt down on those assholes. Horst, can you make an IED?”

  “Yeah, but they aren’t going to work on horses. They’re designed to take out vehicles.”

  “I know that. I want you to design them to detonate when they’re shot. Can you do that?”

  Grinning, Horst replied, “Yes, ma’am. No problem.”

  While she was waiting for Cougar’s men to report, she gathered the family together daily for revenge meetings that were kept purposefully vague. She decided the fewer people who knew what she was planning, the better.

  By this time, Olivia was almost a dead ringer for Nina, having picked up her mannerisms and speech patterns in loyal demonstration of her undying devotion. She walked like her, talked like her, and when dressed in the ceremonial outfit, even Horst and Cougar had a difficult time distinguishing between the original and the clone.

  It took three weeks, but Cougar’s men obtained the information she needed. The same route was used by everyone, every time, when traveling between the two forts. The number of people making the trip and the times varied, except for one man. He travelled between the two forts on a regular basis, always leaving Fort Hope on a Monday morning and coming back on a Sunday night. He rode a white Appaloosa with black spots and always had at least three other soldiers with him.

  Coltrane! I’ve got you, you bastard.

  Nina gathered her staff. “This is Phase one of the plan. How many of you are familiar with guerilla warfare? What I mean by that is how many of you actually know how guerilla warfare is waged?”

  Horst indicated that he did, but was the only one.

  “Okay, that’s not a problem. You’re all familiar with terrorism, right?”

  After a few hesitant nods, Nina explained. “The Muslim terrorists of the past were morons. They wasted their resources trying to make the big kill, create the big event, and wanted to kill the most people they could for publicity purposes because they thought big events would strike fear into the hearts of the Western World. But with the exception of 9/11 and a few other lesser events, they failed miserably. Because they didn’t understand how the non-Muslim world thought. There were actually few people in the United States who feared a terrorist attack. And if you lived in a place that wasn’t called New York, you probably didn’t fear a terrorist attack at all.

  “The true way to sow the seeds of terror is through children. We’re going to take the word ‘terror’ to new levels. We are going to combine the terrorism of the Islamic Extremists with proven guerilla warfare tactics to defeat and ultimately rule this little kingdom. The initial event will take some coordination. I want five people to go to Fort Hope. They will each take five pipe bombs and place four of them at pre-designated locations. The five remaining bombs will be hidden for future use.

  “Horst, I want you to place two IEDs on the road between the two forts. Space them about a mile apart. You will place our best sniper team in a position to shoot the first IED, and a second team to detonate the second one if it becomes necessary. I’ll explain that in more detail later.

  “The week Coltrane is at Fort Terminus, Cougar will take some of our original family members to the village they call Liberty. You can kill as many as you want, Cougar, but that’s not what you’re there for. I want you to take a few captives. And I want the other residents to get a good look at you and your sharp-tooth men. It’s imperative they realize you’re the dreaded cannibals and—this is the most vital part—think you came to take some of their family for food. I want you to wear nasty, dirty clothing and look as imposing as possible. You can yell, ‘we are The Light,’ or whatever, to let them know we’re baaack. Then you hook it back here. Bring the captives, of course. After all, we do have to eat.

  “Horst, the day before Cougar mounts his attack, you will send one of your best men to Zion. Cougar, make sure you and your men know who that person is. He’ll be watching what happens and I don’t want you to accidentally kill him. That operative will report on what they did after you leave with the captives. Any questions so far?”

  There were none.

  “Cougar, after you leave Liberty, they’ll send someone to Fort Hope to alert them that The Light has been turned back on. Our people inside Fort Hope will be able to tell when the attack on Zion took place by nonchalantly watching the front gate. The rider from Liberty should get there within two hours of the attack. From that point on, there should be all kinds of activity. They’ll send a patrol to Liberty and will definitely dispatch a rider to Fort Terminus to alert Coltrane. When our people inside the fort see the patrol leave for Liberty, and after the rider is dispatched to Fort Terminus, they will place their bombs and set the timers for two hours. They will then leave Fort Hope and return here.

  “I’m guessing that Coltrane will leave Fort Terminus immediately. And I’m also sure he’ll bring at least a dozen of his troops. When they get to the first IED, blow their asses up. As a backup, if any of them survive the initial IED and continue on to Fort Hope, the second two snipers will shoot the second IED. After the snipers blow the IEDs, I want them to get back here. While all this is going on, we’re going to lay in wait for the patrol they send to Liberty. We will eliminate that entire patrol. Then we’re going to Liberty and burn it to the ground.”

  “Wow,” said Heather, “that is pure genius, Nina.”

  Nina smiled. “Yes, it is. But nothing ever goes as planned. This probably won’t either, but some of it will. And I guarantee you, if nothing else, we’ll have their attention. Regardless, we’re going to harass them and kill them…relentlessly. Eventually, we’ll take over. That’s just the way it’s going to be. They can’t beat us if they can’t find us. And there is no way they’ll ever take us by surprise like they did in Robbinsville.”

  When the meeting was over, Heather said, “I love your plan, Nina, but what about Olivia? I know she’s our secret weapon, b
ut what is she supposed to do?”

  “With any luck, she won’t have to do anything. She’s a backup. That’s all.”

  ******

  Two weeks later, Benjamin was in the command center when the messenger brought the news of the cannibal attack on Liberty. Summoning Cole and Watts to the command center, he told them what happened.

  “Cole, I want you to get to Fort Terminus and inform Wade of this attack. Derrick, take a dozen men and get over to Liberty. Get the Intel and leave the men there to protect the village against another attack. Then get back here.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Cole left for Fort Terminus at a full gallop, and a squad of mounted FPS men headed for the village of Zion.

  Nina’s operatives inside Fort Hope watched the riders depart, placed their charges, and set the timers. Approaching the gate, it was obvious new gate procedures were enacted, and while they weren’t barred from leaving, they were advised not to. They thanked the guards for their concern, and said they were just going to check on some friends a few miles away.

  Derrick Watts and his squad were two miles from Liberty when all hell broke loose. The firefight lasted a mere thirty seconds.

  Horst stood over the fallen troops and realized one of them was still alive. It was Watts. Recognizing him, Horst bent down, smiled, and said, “Hello, Derrick,” and shot him in the face.

  All twelve men of the Zion patrol, including their leader, Derrick Watts were dead.

  “Let’s go burn a village,” yelled Horst as his group headed for Liberty.

  Two hours after they were placed, twenty pipe bombs, each containing one-half pound of C4, detonated simultaneously at various locations inside Fort Hope. A total of 209 people were killed and another 155 were seriously injured.

  Benjamin was in the command center when the bomb placed just outside an open window detonated. The concussion knocked him against the wall and ruptured his eardrums. He was temporarily out of commission, but still alive.

  Little Soldier was in his bed when the blast occurred. He bolted from his home, strapping his side arm on as he ran. Ignoring the chaos and confusion, he ran past screaming citizens and bloody bodies and made his way to the command center. As he neared, he could see it had sustained significant damage and entered expecting the worst. To his relief, Benjamin was injured, but very much alive.

  Tyler knew the blood trickling from his ears meant his eardrums were blown out, so he just mouthed the words. “Do you want me to lock it down?”

  Benjamin nodded, and then in a halting voice said, “Yeah, and hurry.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tats

  Wade was working with Highlander on the generating system when he saw Cole hustling toward him. Cole was scheduled to remain at Fort Hope for four more days, so he knew there was a problem.

  After the briefing, Wade called an immediate meeting of all members of Fort-T and explained what happened.

  Maggie immediately started packing her gear and said, “They’re going to need all the help they can get, Wade. I’ll be ready to go in ten—”

  Sara said, “Wade, you can’t let her go. It’s too dangerous. Please, remember what I told you about Nina. There is no way she would have allowed survivors at Liberty. She wanted us to know she was back. I don’t know why, but she never does anything without a reason. She has a plan. You can bet your life on that. And if you go back to Fort Hope without considering what her plan might be, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. You’ll be betting your life. I’m begging you, Wade…please…listen to me.”

  Wade was listening, and he knew Sara was right. But he still had the responsibility as governor of Olympia to do what he could. He gave Maggie a reassuring hug and asked her to stay with the children until he decided what to do. He called Randal, Bill, Chris, and Cole outside and said, “What do you think?”

  Randal said, “Dad, Sara’s right. We don’t know anything about Nina except what we saw her do in Robbinsville. Sara lived with her for nine months. I know we need to respond, but let’s consider for a minute what she might be up to.”

  Wade said, “Okay. Thoughts, gentlemen?”

  “It’s been almost a year since we kicked her ass in Robbinsville,” said Bill. “And we know we didn’t leave her with much. So my question is, how much could they have grown during that time, and why are we worrying about a dipshit cannibal? Let’s just go hunt her down and, this time, finish her off.”

  Chris chimed in, “On the surface, Bill, I agree with you, but personally, I think we should heed Sara’s advice. We shouldn’t assume anything other than she’s somehow got her act together, she’s back, she’s dangerous, and she wants revenge.”

  They discussed options and made an effort to guess why she wanted them to know she was back, but no one came up with an answer that made sense.

  Wade finally said, “Benjamin will provide the proper response to Liberty, and he has more than enough men there to handle it. Cole, grab something to eat and get some sleep. We’re mobilizing for a search and destroy mission. And this time, she isn’t getting away.”

  Three hours later, a Ranger from Fort Hope arrived with news of the bomb attack, the annihilation of the twelve-man patrol, and that Liberty had been burned to the ground. He concluded by saying the residents of Liberty were either dead or missing, and Benjamin was injured but alive.

  Wade gathered the entire population of Fort-T again, and said, “This puts a different spin on things. We still have two men at Fort Hope. We’re leaving eight here to defend Fort Terminus. Cole, pick eight men to man the fort. You’re coming with me. Everyone else saddle up.”

  When they left to get their gear, Maggie said, “Wade, they’re going to need me there.”

  “You’re right, Maggie, they will. But we need you here more right now, protecting our children. Sorry, but you aren’t going.”

  “Okay, Wade. I know you’re right. You can count on me,” Maggie said. Then she watched as Wade left for Fort Hope with nine men, including Randal, Bill, Cole and Wilkerson.

  When they reached the EOP, Wade called a halt and they dismounted. “I’ve had time to think about this. If The Light was able to infiltrate Fort Hope and plant bombs, not to mention acquire the capability to make them, then they’ve seriously upgraded their capabilities. I keep thinking about what Sara said about Nina. That she’d seek revenge. I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a scenario that would provide her with the knowledge and the ability to create sophisticated ordnance. No matter how I slice it or dice it, the answer keeps coming back to Nagle. After all, Benjamin said he was an ordnance expert. I think Nina and Nagel hooked up. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Randal said, “That’s as good a hypothesis as any. I think you’re right, Dad. Let’s assume that Nina and Nagel managed to get together. They were both in the Robbinsville area at roughly the same time. It doesn’t take a leap of faith to imagine they got together and he showed her how to make a sophisticated bomb. I think we should also assume they’ve gained tactical expertise. Plus, they’ve had a year to acquire better weaponry, like sniper rifles. We’re making a quick trip back to the fort to armor up with full body armor and helmets. When we get back to the blacktop, we’ll travel single file, twenty-five feet apart. Bill, you’ll take a hundred-yard point. Let’s go.”

  *****

  A half hour after Wade and the troops left for Fort Hope, Chris and Sara sat in the mess tent with the other original members of Fort Terminus. Maggie, Carol, Linda, Becky, Jody, Highlander, and Sean waited expectantly to learn why they were called to this special meeting.

  Chris stood and said, “I’ll just cut right to the chase. Sara’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”

  The air was sucked out of the room by the collective intake of breath, then, smiles all around. Sincere congratulations followed the excitement borne from the knowledge that their post apocalyptic world would soon be blessed with a small slice of normality.

  Maggie asked, “Wade doe
sn’t know?”

  “No. Given the attacks that just occurred, and what they have to do, I don’t want Dad, Randal, or Bill to be distracted by the knowledge of Sara’s pregnancy. We were planning to tell everyone today but under the circumstances we held off. We’re telling you guys because we could all use some good news right about now.”

  Maggie’s mother hen clothes materialized. “I’m so happy for you. Sara, let’s go do an exam right now. I have to get you on a special diet and exercises. We have to make you some maternity clothes, and…”

  Sara interrupted and smiled. “Okay mom. Can it wait till morning? It’s not like I’m six months along or anything.”

  ******

  The route from Fort Terminus to Fort Hope went directly north out of Robbinsville, up highway 129, and skirted the very southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Randal couldn’t think of a better spot for an ambush than the two-lane road nicknamed Tail of the Dragon with its 318 curves in an eleven-mile stretch. As they approached the Cheoah Dam, he told Bill to go out another hundred yards. The patrol increased their spacing to fifty feet and, just before they got to the series of curves called “the switchbacks,” Bill radioed for them to halt. He hustled back and said, “There’s some shit in the road up ahead. I glassed it and it looks harmless, but this is the same kind of crap I saw in Afghanistan. I smell a rat.”

  “IED?” said Randal.

  “That’s my guess, yeah.”

  Wilkerson said, “An IED for a horse? Why would a rider intentionally make his horse walk on it?”

  “Yeah, it wouldn’t make any sense to plant an IED if you needed the horse to step on it. But a sniper could shoot it and blow it up whenever he wanted to,” countered Wade. “Dismount. Bill, Randal, Joe, get in the woods and find that son-of-a-bitch.”