by Robert Boren
“Does this change anything for Texas?” Holly asked.
“You mean are we going to re-join the union?” Nelson asked. “Not yet, but remember that the Republic is only temporary. When it’s in the interest of Texas to re-join the union, we will.”
Governor Nelson’s secretary rushed in.
“What is it, Bryan?” Nelson asked.
“A device was found on a pleasure boat, off Kemah,” he said.
There was a murmur around the room.
“We stopped it, though, right?” Nelson asked.
“Just in time, sir. It was a larger device than the one in Puget Sound.”
“How bad would the damage have been?” Hendrix asked.
Bryan looked at Nelson.
“It’s okay, Bryan. Tell us all what you know.”
“According to the team who found it, we would have had extreme damage all the way into Pasadena,” he said. “Fallout would have extended into Houston.”
“My God,” Nelson said. “How we doing on the other checks?”
“Everything is clear between Galveston and South Padre Island, sir,” he said. “All marinas are currently closed, and we’re setting up inspection points for all incoming ships, commercial and private. They won’t get another nuke in that way.”
“Thank God for that,” Holly said.
“There’s something else,” Bryan said.
“Go ahead.”
“Some kind of device was set off in Falcon Lake. Caused a wave so big that it took out the dam.”
“Oh, no,” Nelson said. “Loss of life?”
“Minimal, luckily,” Bryan said. “Not much population below that dam.”
“Well that’s something at least. What about our DPS assets?”
“We lost most of the patrol boats and crews, sir,” Bryan said.
“Dammit. Was it a nuclear device?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Bryan said. “No radiation has been detected.”
“Why the hell would the enemy have done that?” Chief Ramsey asked. “Wouldn’t this take away an easy crossing point?”
“You’d think so,” Nelson said. “I need to talk to DPS Director Wallis. I think we should close this meeting for now and get some shut-eye. We’ve been up all night. It looks like the attacks are over.”
“For now, anyway,” Ramsey said. “Should we keep everybody down here?”
“Let’s get consensus in the room. Who’s in favor of staying in the bunker?”
No hands went up.
“Okay, then let’s open the doors back up,” Nelson said. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about the foiled attack in Kemah or the explosion at Falcon Lake until we have more information. Especially to the press.”
Nelson left the room with Bryan and Chief Ramsey.
“You going home, Kip?” Holly asked.
“Don’t know if I can sleep yet,” Hendrix said. “Wonder if Maria and Jerry are still in the same room?”
“We’ll know in a minute,” Holly said. “I’m going home for a while, at least to take a shower. It was like a sauna in there before they got the air conditioning right.”
Hendrix chuckled. “Yeah.” They walked up the stairs and went into the room where they left Jerry and Maria. People inside were gathering up their stuff, getting ready to leave. Maria saw Hendrix and ran over to him, hugging him, then stiffening and backing away.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said.
“It’s okay to be scared, Maria,” Hendrix said. “We can leave now.”
“Did you see the video on TV?”
“Yes,” he said. “Horrible. Just horrible.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“Where’s Jerry?”
“He left me there,” Maria said. “Went to talk to the security team, and never came back.” Her eyes welled up with tears.
“You were scared being alone, weren’t you?” Hendrix asked softly. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s just that I didn’t know anybody down there. They all outranked me. I wish I would’ve been with the other secretaries.”
“I didn’t know,” Hendrix said. “You could’ve called my cell phone.”
“They work down here?” she asked.
“Of course, they have antennas down here, connected to the roof,” he said.
“Oh, I guess they’d have to,” she said, “but I wouldn’t have called you in the situation room. I know you were busy in there.”
“Well, that’s true,” Hendrix said, grim look on his face.
“Something bad happened, didn’t it? Something that wasn’t on the news.”
“I can’t talk about it here,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. Let’s go upstairs.”
“Is it really safe?” she asked.
“As far as we know,” Hendrix said. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“No, but I don’t think I can sleep now. I’m too worked up.”
“Me too,” he said. “Let’s go to the office. Have some breakfast brought up.”
“Okay, sir,” she said. They went up the stairs and got into the crowded elevator, riding it to the second floor. Sutton met them in the hallway, a few steps away from the door.
“Where were you?” Hendrix asked.
“Security briefing with DPS and the National Guard. All the mid-level folks were there.”
“You shouldn’t have left Maria in there by herself,” Hendrix said.
“Oh, sir, it’s okay,” Maria said, sounding embarrassed.
“Sorry,” Sutton said. “I thought we’d be right back. They kept us there for the rest of the time.”
“It’s okay, really,” Maria said. They walked into the office suite. “I’ll call for some food. You want some too, Jerry?”
“No thanks,” he said. “I need to get home and shower. It was too hot down there. Need some sleep, too. If you don’t need me, that is.”
“Go ahead,” Hendrix said. “I’ll be out of here as soon as I’m tired enough to sleep.”
“But you want breakfast, right?” Maria asked.
“Yes, please,” he said. “For you too.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. Hendrix nodded and walked into his office, Sutton on his heels. He closed the door after himself.
“I thought you were leaving?” Hendrix said.
“In a minute,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Be careful,” Sutton said.
“Careful about what?”
“Maria,” he said. “You’re still looking at her. I know you’re trying to hide it. You aren’t doing such a good job.”
“She’s not interested,” Hendrix said.
“She softened a little last night. Told me how safe she feels with you.” He paused for a moment. “Shit, I shouldn’t be telling you that.”
“I said don’t worry about it,” Hendrix said. “I care for her. I’m not going to push her into anything. I learned my lesson.”
Sutton stood looking at him for a moment, then sighed. “I hope so. She’s scared and vulnerable right now. She’ll get over that, and if you’ve taken advantage, she’ll circle back and nail you. Trust me.”
“I won’t take advantage,” Hendrix said. “Really.”
“Okay, boss. I’ll see you later today.”
“You don’t have to come back in today. You’ve been up all night.”
“I know, but I can’t sleep all day, because then I’ll be up all night. I’ll nap a few hours, shower, and come in for a while.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Hendrix said. “I’ll probably do the same.”
Sutton nodded and left. Hendrix sat behind his desk, his mind spinning. He wasn’t thinking about the attacks.
Chapter 4 – Plans for Life
Eric woke to Kim’s naked body rubbing up against him in the dim light of dawn.
“You awake?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks to you,” Eric said, eyes barely open, enjoying t
he feel of her. “You didn’t get enough last night?”
“No,” she said. “You know how new relationships are. Enjoy it.”
“Oh, I have been, believe me,” he said, pulling her head close, kissing her gently. Their passion built quickly as they enjoyed each other, ending in sweaty, panting bliss.
“Why so early?” Eric asked, looking at his phone. “It’s not even six yet.”
“We agreed to leave at seven, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’ll get ready. How about breakfast?”
“Cereal okay?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “There’s several kinds in the pantry.”
“I know,” she said, getting out of bed. Eric stared at her. “Take a picture, why don’t you?”
“Okay,” he said, picking up his cellphone. She grabbed the blanket and covered herself quickly.
“Don’t you dare!”
Eric chuckled. “I’m just messing with you. I’ll start the coffee maker.”
“Good,” she said, dropping the blanket as left. She got dressed and joined him, watching the coffee maker heat up. Paco jumped up and down.
“Okay, pal, in a minute,” Eric said. “Want to go?”
“We can take coffee, right?”
“Of course,” he said. He put a pod in the machine and made a cup for Kim.
“You take that one,” Kim said. “Go ahead and get Paco hooked up. I’ll be right out.”
Eric nodded, grabbing the leash. He went out into the overcast morning, Paco prancing with glee ahead of him. Kim came through the door a moment later with her steaming cup of coffee. They walked down the row of coaches. People were already moving around.
“Something’s wrong,” Kim said. “I’ve seen two crying. Lot of grim faces.”
“Yeah, there’s a bunch of people gathered by the clubhouse,” Eric said. “Let’s work our way over there and see what’s going on.”
“Okay,” she said. “We can’t lollygag, though, if we want to eat and be on the road by seven.”
“We could always eat a Clif bar,” Eric said.
“True.” They got to the crowd of people.
“What’s going on?” Eric asked an old man who had tears in his eyes.
“You haven’t had the news on?” he asked.
“No, we just got up,” Eric said.
“Damn Islamists lit off a bunch of nukes. Floated them into harbors. New York, Seattle, and a bunch of other places.”
“Oh, no,” Kim said, her body trembling. “In Texas? Or Florida? Or Georgia?”
“No, but there was one in Charleston, South Carolina, and in Ventura, over in California. Oh, and a couple in Russia to.”
“My God,” Eric said. “We do anything?”
“We’re getting ready to bomb North Korea. Evacuations going on around the demilitarized zone and the border with China. We already nuked the hell out of Venezuela.”
“Geez,” Kim said. “We still a Republic?”
“They ain’t said anything different yet,” the old man said.
Dirk walked over. “You just now hearing about this?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “I don’t have a TV in my trailer. Didn’t have the radio on today, either.”
“I saw it on my phone browser,” Dirk said. “We still leaving at seven?”
“I don’t see any reason why not,” Eric said. “Do you?”
“No, not really,” he said. “The world has gone frigging nuts.”
“Yep,” Eric said. Kim hugged him, still trembling. “You okay, sweetie?”
“I’m pretty far from okay,” she said. “Glad we aren’t by the coast.”
The old man looked at them. “The Governor said we’d already checked all the harbors, from South Padre Island all the way up to Galveston and beyond. We’re safe, and they’ve locked things down now.”
“Good,” Dirk said.
A middle-aged man ran out of the clubhouse. “Somebody knocked out the dam at Falcon Lake last night!”
“My God,” Dirk said. “Wonder what that’s gonna do to the Rio Grande? Might make it easier for the enemy to come across.”
Kim looked at Eric, fear in her eyes. “Can we get going?”
“Let’s go have breakfast first,” Eric said.
“We’ll be ready at seven,” Dirk said.
Eric nodded, and took Kim and Paco back to the coach. As soon as they got inside, Kim started to sob. Eric took her into his arms. “It’ll be okay, sweetie.”
“I want to settle down with you and make babies,” she said. “I’m afraid the world won’t let us.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” he said, holding her, trying to believe it himself.
Kim fought to get herself under control. “Feed Paco, okay? I think we have time for cereal. I’ll get it out.”
“On it,” Eric said. He kept an eye on her as he tended to the dog. They ate breakfast quickly, barely saying anything.
“What time is it?” Kim asked.
“Ten minutes to seven,” Eric said. “I’ll unhook the utilities and hitch up the Bronco. You want to stow things in here?”
“Sure,” she said.
Eric got up, stood next to her and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, okay?”
“I’ll try,” she said. “I’m glad we’re together. I’m glad we left Florida, too.”
Eric nodded, then turned towards the door and left.
He was just finishing up with the utilities when Dirk and Chance walked up.
“You guys about ready?” Eric asked.
“Yeah,” Chance said. “You?”
“I just have to pull the rig out and hitch up the Bronco,” he said. “Five minutes.”
“Good,” Dirk said. “We still gonna try to make Fredericksburg today?”
“Might as well,” Eric said. “Hopefully we won’t get tangled up getting past Austin.”
“We should be okay,” Chance said. “Meet you by the gate.”
“Sounds good,” Eric said. Dirk and Chance walked away, and he went into the coach.
“Ready to pull out?” Kim asked.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “You?”
“Go ahead,” she said. “Sorry I was such a wreck earlier. You don’t need that on top of everything else.”
“Don’t be silly,” he said. He hugged her again, then got into the driver’s seat and pulled into the road.
“I’ll take Paco for a quick walk while you hitch the Bronco,” Kim said.
“Good idea,” Eric said. He left, and was half-way through his job when he saw Kim walk away with Paco, her red hair blowing in the breeze. There’s my whole life. Protect her.
After a few minutes, Eric and Kim rolled up to the front gate. Dirk and his group were already there. They waved and drove out onto the highway.
“Glad to be out of there, and I’m not sure why,” Kim said.
“We’re liable to see a roadblock or checkpoint when we get closer to Austin.”
“Think they’ll be able to figure out that we snuck over the border?”
“Nah,” Eric said. “I don’t see how they could.”
“Wow, what are those?” Kim asked, pointing at the oncoming traffic.
“Those look like tanks on flatbeds to me,” Eric said, gripping the wheel tighter. The coach rocked as they sped by them. “Geez.”
“I counted ten,” Kim said. “Maybe we’re going to take back the area around Carthage with those.”
“Probably,” Eric said.
Kim studied his worried face. “Something wrong?”
“Why wasn’t there an armed escort with that convoy? Seems pretty crazy with all the enemy fighters around.”
Kim thought about it for a moment. “You’re right. That doesn’t seem right.”
“Wonder what kind of tanks they were? Hard to tell with the tarps on them.”
“Why does it matter?” Kim asked.
“If they’re M-1s, that’s probably regular Army.”
“Oh,” Kim
said. “Does the Texas National Guard even have tanks? I don’t think the Florida National Guard did.”
“Not sure,” Eric said. “Either way, it really bothers me that they aren’t being guarded. We don’t need the Islamists getting ahold of those.”
“Here comes more,” Kim said. “Another five, looks like.”
“Yeah,” Eric said, the coach rocking as they flew by. “No guards on those either.”
“We need to settle down,” Kim said. “Nothing we can do about that now. We’d better watch out for ourselves.”
“Okay,” Eric said. “Let’s talk about something else.”
They were silent for a moment.
“You want kids?” Kim asked.
Eric chuckled. “What a question.”
“I’m serious,” she said.
“But why now?”
“Maybe because of last night and this morning,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m bringing this up.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because we only just got together,” Kim said.
“We’ve know each other for a while now – even went on a few dates in Florida, remember?”
“We’ve only just started being intimate,” she said. “You know what I mean. Didn’t last night and this morning make you think about kids little bit? I felt bonded to you more than ever before.”
“I felt the bonding,” Eric said. “What you said when you were crying earlier had more of an impact on me.”
“I was overwhelmed,” she said. “Sorry.”
“Don’t say that,” Eric said. “I understood what you were upset about. It was getting to me too.”
“You didn’t show it,” she said. “You’re so hard to read sometimes.”
“So I’ve been told,” Eric said. “I guess the answer to your line of questioning is that I do want to have babies with you.”
She giggled. “You make me sound like a prosecutor.”
“Just messing with you,” Eric said. “We haven’t been using anything. Birth control, I mean.”
“I know, and it’s getting to a bad time,” she said. “I was on the pill, but like everything else I own, they’re back in Florida.” She giggled.
“Oh, shit, I didn’t even think about that,” Eric said.
“We should go to the drug store where we stay tonight. I can get to my doctor on the web portal and have him send the prescription.”