by Marcus Sloss
“They are on the last of the carbines now. Most of this truck was ammo and supplies for making ammo. I thought there would be more tents and armor. There is only enough armor for a platoon,” Becca said with a grunt. “I know, be grateful for what we got. The three guys who made the trip had so many questions that Persephone barked at them to shut the fuck up. Well, she said it nicer than that, but the point was made.”
“You are a character, Becca. Thanks for the update.”
“No problem, Cap.”
We passed Willow and Perci, who were checking over inventory sheets. I found Torrez creating gear stacks near the back of the long barn. While I walked down the corridor, I looked into the stalls to get an idea of what was around. I quickly realized I would need more than a short glance, as there were frequently unlabeled boxes for discretion.
My feet halted beside a neat pile Torrez had created. It was time to shed my DU shirt and cargo shorts. There was a light green undershirt and boxer shorts in the pile. I snatched them up along with a set of jungle fatigues. With my gear in hand, I returned to the manager’s room.
A minute or two later, I was dressed like a soldier, minus boots. When I returned to the first pile, I picked up a shoulder holster and found a ruger 9mm already clipped in. A quick inspection showed the reduced magazine size limited to ten by state law. We were so modifying our magazines to full capacity when we found the time. I cleared the barrel, ensured the safety was on, and returned the weapon to its holster. I did not put the straps over my shoulders yet because I wanted to check the vest.
I let out a low whistle. This was the two-piece dragon armor set.
“Yeah, Becca complained and I laughed,” Torrez said.
“What? We need more and it is flimsy?” Becca replied.
“So Becca, this company has gone in and out of business a few times. I would have returned home with more soldiers if we had these double sets. I dare say…”
“It is okay, Cap, Becca, these armored shorts would have handled me sitting on a grenade. I would have lost my ankles and knees still, but the tourniquets would have been much lower on my thighs,” Torrez said, while preparing a new stack against the wall.
I grabbed the jungle patterned armored shorts and slid them on. A few strap adjustments later, and they were solid. I jumped, trying to dislodge the armor bound around my waist. A few more leaps without it falling earned them a nod of approval. The vest was a one piece with thin plates under the interwoven scales. The armor overlapped my shorts that were high on my waist. The upper armor wrapped around my neck with a minor adjustment, and the sleeves went down to my elbows. A testing twist of my body left me feeling limber.
This armor had come a long way in the past decade. So far in design that the generals were begging for its inception when we deployed. Budget constraints were the cause for their request denial, and it felt good to have an heiress looking over me.
I smiled like a kid in a sandpit when I was fully armored up in forest camouflage. I immediately shifted out of the top armor piece and put my arms into the sidearm shoulder holster. With the pistol on first, I dropped the armor over my head and fit the neck protector into place. A helmet with soft padding was equipped; it required minimal adjusting as the interior gel formed to my head. I buckled the chinstrap while I kicked off my shoes, and Torrez held up a hand.
“Thirteen?”
“Fourteen if we have em,” I replied to the man.
A box of new boots was handed to me and I let out an evil laugh.
“What is it?” Becca asked.
“I am going to violate seventeen military laws. I am going to wear white cotton socks inside my boots!”
“I always thought that rule was silly when we were in garrison. I wore nylon dress socks in the desert,” Becca said.
“I loved those, mine were trashed after a month of sweating in them when we got pinned down in the shipyard. Went barefoot most of the time after that. I rem-”
“No, Cap. No getting hooked into war stories with me around. I want to focus on my family, dealing with this problem one day at a time, and not that shit storm. There are six models of .308 up for grabs. There are forty MK3s if you want to try to standardize our weapons. We have an excess of long-range scopes and Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOGs). We have a few hundred carbines here. You can do scout kits, sniper kits, and combat kits. The complexity of all of it will take a while to sort as an armorer. Then again, if we get hundreds of people, we will run out of gear. The plus side is most of this gear is new in the boxes. It was as if some of my dreams came true.”
“I can start pairing the ACOGs to the brownings,” I said, finding a purpose.
Moving around the armor was incredible. It reminded me of a heavy robe more than traditional armor with thick plates. I kept it on as I peered into horse stalls for the ACOGs. Torrez saw me looking and did not help me. He knew I would want to get a feel for the storage layout. The third stall down had the browning MK3s inside. I made a mental note and went looking for six-inch-long boxes. I found the ACOGs on the other side of the aisle and loaded up a dozen in a wobbly stack.
Over the next half hour, I would pry a sight out of the box, stick it onto the rails of a rifle, and tighten the screws to secure the optic. When I finished the last weapon, I noticed Perci and Willow browsing over paperwork. The truck was retreating out of the valley and both the ladies noticed me standing still watching them.
Guilty of gazing, I went to one of the ammo staging spots and started filling ten slot magazines. I only had four completed when Perci and Willow arrived.
“Those dicks tried to ask for more money after seeing the house. Said there was a high altitude delivery free that the boss forgot to add. When I raised an eyebrow, they said it could be waived for Gpad contact information so we could get coffee later. As if,” Perci said with a scoff.
“You should get used to being flirted with, Perci,” I said, and Willow nudged Perci with an ‘I told you so’ look. “You are not exactly hiding your new bust and you’re glowing with happiness. Men tend to cue into those things.”
“Almost verbatim for what Willow said. Okay, time to catch you up with what you missed while you were handling all the long hard guns by yourself… Eh, that one did not hit the mark. Everyone has replied to my message. Sixty percent or so are already leaving or preparing to. They were wondering why they suddenly had extra money in their accounts and were grateful. Some said they might make it later if they can. I expect people to trickle in over the next twenty-four hours with stragglers maybe up to a few days later.
“Maria went over our consumables that were lacking. I can get drones to a home about an hour down the mountain. I bought the home and am having gobs of soap, shampoo, feminine products, medicine, birth control, and well there is a long list we compiled that we keep adding to. A girl needs toilet paper, Eric,” Perci said with raised brows. Willow bobbed her head in agreement. “I notated the driveway for delivery and sent it to your Gpad. Maria said she would go, but I think you should take an RV with Torrez. Those drones are going to be flying into a ritzy neighborhood and will draw attention. The last thing we need is a Mexican woman getting accused of stealing. And Cap, there is a ton of stuff getting dropped off.”
“Hey, I heard that… Thank you, Sarg. Is that the name you settled on?” Torrez asked.
“Perci works, or Mrs. Yang. It is my legal name now -” Perci replied as I cut her off.
“You are a Lieutenant now. You can use Lt. If you want. Supplies and personnel. If that is okay with you, Mrs. Yang.”
“Yes, I will be your go-to officer, Cap. Also, there is a reason I picked Mrs. Yang.”
“Right, can’t have people knowing who your mom is,” Torrez said with drawn out sarcasm. “I get it, nothing to do with fantasy romance... Joking stuff aside, thanks, Perci, for sending your husband to fetch thousands worth of soap. You’re probably right since it is in boxes they will think she is stealing. If she was hauling used cleaning supplies, she
would fit right in.”
“Damn Torrez, carrying much resentment, and I am bringing you with me. Hand me the data, come on Torrez. Shit,” I muttered as I looked of the information and realized the efficacy of 2032 was so good a lot of the stuff was already on the way.
“Yup, you need to leave now.”
“Add those dino kid toys for Jasmine, and some other kid stuff. I am sure she won't be the only one we have to keep entertained. Oh, and more long- term food. Uh, and I have no clothes besides military stuff. Maybe some hot tub shorts because, well, it won’t always be just us.”
“See, you will be busy loading stuff for at least a half hour, if not more.”
I went to my pile of gear, grabbed a webbing vest, and slid it on over my armor. Torrez had already equipped a few magazine pouches to the vest that I added loaded magazines into.
“Gear up, I want to get the supplies before it is all stolen.”
Torrez scoffed and said, “What!? Do you mean rich white people steal too?”
“It is an empty house. The neighbors will know that random piled boxes are probably a con or a scam. Anyway, come on. We get to drive one of those new fancy RVs. Which trailer are we taking?” I asked Perci, who paused to think about it.
“I will pull the six-seater buggie out and park it under a balcony on the mansion. What do you want us to do while you are gone?”
“Organize,” I said, looking around. “Leave the barriers and wire out in the fields. If the heavy machinery arrives before Jevon gets here, stick it in the field. Perci is in charge while I am gone until Jevon gets here. Time to go, Torrez.”
“Sweet. Toiletries and kid toys, here we come.”
CHAPTER 7
After we hooked up the large steel trailer, we drove a half hour down a long winding dirt road. The top of the RV brushed and scraped the whole way through the trees until we hit a paved county road. I was hoping to see the hydro pumps that provided our power from the river but the road did not go by them.
The trip to the delivery house was very calm and quiet. Torrez and I sat in our fancy bucket seats that massaged our backs while we enjoyed the trip. The RV was filled with gadgets that tied into the Gnet. It pretty much operated all on its own. Merely had to have a driver in the seat because of its tonnage. I found out there were three display screens in the dining area alone. The mini kitchen was complete with a fridge, stove, and microwave. The bathroom had a small shower and toilet. There were two standard beds. One was a loft over the driver’s seating, while the other contorted out of a bench under the seating area. At the back of the RV was a master mini suite with what looked like a king mattress. The prop outs probably added a ton of space but we never tested them. The interior was the same bulletproof alloy of the exterior. The reflective nature of the metal made the space inside feel larger than it was. This was the exact RV I had wanted. No flat off-road tires. Eight electric motors. Incredible solar charging with excessive battery storage and comfort throughout.
We hardly said a word while slightly jostling over the rough terrain. The suspension on this RV was amazing. We turned left for the smooth county road while the news played unimportant nonsense as we sped for the location on my Gpad. There was minimal traffic and the sun was arcing to retreat for the day. The casting shadows of the trees reached the road as I kept glancing up as if an alien ship would be above me. My Gpad alerted me to turn down a private road for Marble Heights. The iron wrought gates blocked our entry until we keyed in the code.
Rows of two-story homes between neatly trimmed yards followed a slightly curving road. A few teenagers were playing street hockey and curiously eyed us as we parked at the house with a digital for sale sign out front that read sold. The driveway was stacked with boxes of all shapes and sizes. Neither of us complained at the work required. The time passed quickly as we loaded the trailer until it was jammed tight and then started filling the RV. I got a Gpad ping to wait for more deliveries That Perci had realized we would need.
The neighbors – Marty and Jessica Biysk – came out to say hi, but when they saw two men wearing army fatigues loading boxes into a fancy RV, they became fearful to approach. I used my charming smile to say we bought the house and were avid hunters. This seemed to be acceptable behavior because they eased right over to chat with us. I even gave out my Gcontact information while asking to tell me if someone started stealing packages we missed. The sold sign said ’Welcome the Yang Family’ so the neighbors even helped us load up supplies. When the ‘good to go’ text came through from Perci, we said friendly goodbyes before we left with a filled RV and trailer. I let Perci know to keep sending stuff here. When news broke of the aliens, I was sure some might seek refuge with us.
The ride back was peaceful and serene. It had been a long time since Torrez and I were able to just sit around each other. We lightly discussed the kid toys Jasmine would be thrilled about. Jevon diverted our chat when he texted me he was less than an hour away. At the end of the country road, we got stuck behind a big rig trying to turn onto our dirt road with a dozer and a backhoe. I convinced him to retreat down the road a half mile after explaining I would run over some trees with built up speed. The RV was certainly strong enough. The driver rolled his eyes and told me not to be hasty. He backed off the dozer from the trailer bed, and pushed the trees out of the way while expanding the turn. He flattened the ground and an hour later, we helped him make the turn. Jevon was following behind him on the dirt trail by the time we were done. The setting sun told me we were eating more time than I thought. I felt the mountain chill defeating the day’s warmth and rolled up my window.
When we entered our valley clearing, I jostled the RV next to the house. My goal was to get it as close as I could to reduce hauling trips. When we parked, I heard the thrum of helicopters overhead. I noticed the field had more barrier supplies and barbed wire. This should be the final load of materials from Fort Carson. The pilots had no issue finding new spots to drop the supplies off. Three more large stacks of MREs occupied the field. They were gone before I even was able to say hello to Jevon. My gaze left the retreating helicopters to see Jevon had parked not far from the house.
My friend exited his electric truck with a friendly wave that revealed his sparkling white teeth. Jevon had a light black skin tone with short buzz-cut hair. He wore the dark turtleneck I saw him in earlier and baggy gray cargo pants. A long, loud whistle escaped his lips at seeing the home. At six foot five, we were almost the exact same height.
“Jevon, it is good to see you, my friend. It has been too long,” I said as we clasp palms and patted each other’s backs. We were not above giving each other half man hugs. “How was the drive?”
“Good to see you, Eric. The drive was long and boring. I had the news playing the entire time which lulled me into a peaceful sleep,” Jevon said with a head slant and closed eyes mimicking a nap. “Nothing interesting came on, but I figured it was the best thing to listen to. Tour?”
“Follow me,” I said, finding my cheeks were sore from smiling so much lately.
Being around friends was exactly what I needed. Over the next half hour, we toured the Mansion and the surrounding buildings. When we finished exploring everything FOB Mansion had to offer, the delivery driver had offloaded the last of our equipment. I saw Perci, Willow, and Becca signing for the paperwork down below. There were waves exchange. Jevon and I were on the third-floor balcony overlooking the area from up high.
“Roof?” he asked, and I used the thick balcony railing to hop up even higher. “Well, this has got to be the most insane house I have ever stayed in. Hell, or even visited. My brother said he is already on the road driving from California and Mom is flying in from Detroit. No one else would drop everything and rush out here on a maybe.”
“Hey, we do what we can, right? Tomorrow should validate our efforts. Defensively, what were you thinking?”
“You’re calling the shots, but I appreciate wanting my input.”
“About that. You want lead on th
is one? I can make a great XO,” I said, giving Jevon a serious long look.
He sat on the roof with his elbows touching his bent knees. A loud huff was followed by a light chuckle. “Hell no, Eric. If this turns out the way I think it is, we need you. You are capable of killing people that we good people would leave alive. Not ragging on you, you know that. I was the executioner a lot of the times. I find… I know… Well, you have my trust. I hope you understand I am perfectly happy being your XO.”
“Well, XO. How would you defend our latest stronghold?”
“My first instinct is to secure the mansion without the barn. That boxy, long structure leaves a horrible series of blind spots behind it. Then again, it has a lot of stuff inside those walls. More than would fit in the basement. I think we pull as much as we can inside the basement. I just do not know how to defend that building without more soldiers. Hell, we are going to struggle with just us tonight.”
“Oh, I invited the whole unit. So, we should have friends and family arriving all night. Becca or Torrez can pull a double shift while we sleep tonight and we can start building day and night crews tomorrow. So, the barn is outside the perimeter. That is fine. We can haul the ATVs out and stick both the trailers and the vehicles inside. What else?”
“Yeah, that works if they are stuffed with easy to unload items. Would make the barn irrelevant for now. Moving all that stuff will be a pain, but if we do get extra hands, it will keep us busy. Hescos two wide, one on top. I know we can double stack them directly, but I prefer the triple triangle setup. Fifty feet between us and the barrier line should do the trick unless were putting thousands of people in here. Let me think on that after I talk to Perci, she will know the estimated arrival numbers. The best places to guard the edges will be these third-floor balconies. Will be a pain for those sleeping in them as crews rotate, but we are complaining about living in a mansion. I mean of the shitty places to defend -”