by Robert Boren
“Why would the militias do that?” Ramsey asked. “They’re basically anarchists. You think they’re going to submit to radical Islam?”
“Let’s just say it’s an uneasy partnership,” Nelson said.
“I’ll bet,” Ramsey said. “I thought the Islamists were throwing in with the UN.”
“They’ve been trying, but it’s not going well so far,” Nelson said. “The UN Peacekeepers are having their asses handed to them in California. Apparently Saladin is losing confidence.”
“I’m still having a hard time picturing these two groups in bed with each other,” Ramsey said.
“Apparently they have a plan to divvy up portions of the country after the war has been won,” Nelson said. “They’re letting the militia have almost all the territory they’re interested in. Everything from Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana east to the Mississippi. The only part they want to keep in that territory is part of North Dakota and Montana.”
“Shit, they want the Bakken,” Ramsey said. “The militia agreed to that?”
“The militia leaders want to supply technical services. They’re not interested in getting into the oil business themselves. They don’t have the marketing connections that the Islamists do for oil.”
“Both of these groups are going to jockey for dominance, and there’ll be another war,” Ramsey said.
“No doubt,” Nelson said, “but right now defeating what’s left of our society is job one for them, and I expect them to work together hard to bring that about. The fight just got bigger and more dangerous.”
“Anything we can do about Simon Orr?”
“I’ve got some ideas,” Nelson said. “Obviously we don’t want him anywhere near the other groups.”
“I just remembered something,” Ramsey said. “It was Landry’s idea to bring Simon Orr in.”
Nelson chuckled. “Then we’ll see a call come through that cell amplifier.”
“You’re probably right,” Ramsey said. “When Orr finds out we’ve got Landry boxed in, he’s liable to take off.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Nelson said. “We’ll see tomorrow, after Wallis checks out the cell traffic.”
“All right. Anything else tonight?”
“No,” Nelson said. “Try to get some sleep. I’ll do the same.”
“Roger that,” Ramsey said. “Good night.”
Chapter 20 – Weapons
Moe watched people arrive at the clubhouse as the mid-morning sun heated up.
“Nice assortment of stuff,” Clancy said, looking over the rows of tables covered with military hardware.
The sound of Amanda’s bobtail approached.
“Here comes the other half of the M-16s,” Moe said.
“Other half?” Clancy asked. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, we’ll be well prepared,” Moe said.
Amanda and Curt walked in, each with armloads of M-16s.
“Want to give us a hand?” Curt asked.
“Hell yeah,” Clancy said, walking out. Kelly, Junior, and Nate walked up together and pitched in.
“So should we ditch the AK-47s for M-16s?” Nate asked.
Curt heard the question. “I’d switch to the M-16s,” he said.
“Why?” Kelly asked.
“Lighter, smaller ammo so you can carry more, better accuracy, faster and easier to change clips.”
“The AK-47 must have some advantages,” Junior said.
“They used to be significantly more reliable than the M-16,” Curt said. “This latest M-16 variant makes the difference very small.”
“Interesting,” Kelly said. “How much training does it take to switch over?”
“Not much,” Curt said. “You could do a comparison, you know. Take one of each back to the field and use those shot-up containers as targets.”
“That sounds like fun,” Clancy said.
“Sure does,” Junior said. “We’d better make sure that everybody in the park knows what we’re doing, though, or else some folks are liable to shit their pants.”
“Junior!” Rachel said, walking towards him with Brenda.
Junior got a sheepish grin on his face and shrugged. “Excuse my French.”
Rachel laughed as she encircled his waist. “I’m just messing with you. What were you talking about, anyway?”
“We were trying to figure out if we should switch from AK-47s to M-16s, now that we have a large supply.”
“And?” she asked.
“Sounds like the M-16 is the hot setup.”
“We should keep both around, and we should stay checked out on both,” Nate said. “A lot of AK ammo to be had.”
“That’s a good point,” Curt said. “I’m certainly not suggesting that we trash any of our weapons. Even the hunting rifles have value.”
“And the Thompsons,” Jason said, walking over.
“Those things belong in a museum,” Curt said.
Carrie and Kate chuckled as they approached with Chelsea. “Those Thompsons saved our asses at the hog blind, remember?” Carrie asked.
“Mommy, you said a bad word,” Chelsea said.
“You’re right, sweetie. I meant to say butts.”
Kate snickered. “Yeah, you’re right about the Thompsons saving our butts.”
People were streaming into the clubhouse to pick up weapons. Moe got on the PA system.
“We got most of the people here?” he asked.
“Looks like it,” Kyle said.
“Yeah,” Eric said, standing by a table with Kim.
“Good,” Moe said. “How many of you are trained on the M-16 Rifle?”
Roughly a quarter of the people raised their hands.
“Okay, then we need to hold a few training sessions,” Moe said. “How many of you feel confident enough to train others on these weapons?”
“I do,” Eric said.
“Me too,” Curt said.
“You’ll be too busy manufacturing gimbals and sights,” Jason said. “I can train, and so can Kyle.”
“Me too,” Gray said. “I’ve got a few people who are better than me in my group. We should have plenty of trainers. How deep are we training?”
“What do you mean?” Moe asked.
“We’ve got some teenagers here,” Gray said. “Do we train them too?”
“I would,” Dirk said. “For their own protection.”
“I want to learn,” Alyssa said.
“Me too,” Chloe said.
“I have no problem with that,” Don said.
“Really?” Sydney asked.
“Sure. Safety will be part of the training, and if we get attacked, I want the girls to be able to defend themselves.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Sydney said. “Good call.”
Eric walked over to Jason. “Find out any more about that attack last night?”
“Yeah, I called Ramsey at about midnight,” Jason said.
“What’s up?”
“We’ve obviously still got a mole in the Air National Guard,” Jason said. “Ramsey and Nelson think they’ll figure out who it is pretty quick, because they’ve got Landry caged up in the bunker under the Capitol building.”
“What’s that going to buy us?”
“They made him believe he’s still running the Air National Guard. He’s got his cellphone and can call out using the cell amplifier, which they’re monitoring. When he tries to plan something, they’ll see it.”
“He might be too smart to do that,” Eric said.
“I know, that’s sticking in my mind too.”
“Makes me nervous as hell,” Eric said.
“What makes you nervous as hell?” Kim asked, walking up with an M-16 in her hand.
“It’s nothing,” Eric said.
“Don’t even,” she said. “What?”
Eric sighed. “Okay, sorry. There’s still a mole in the Air National Guard. Ramsey and Nelson think they’ll be able to figure out who it is. Jason and I aren’t so sure. That’s all.
”
“That’s enough,” Kim said, brow furrowed. “You gonna teach me how to use this thing?”
“Sure,” Eric said. “Let’s wait till the whole group does it, though. Or at least until everybody has been notified that we’ll be shooting.”
“We don’t want to burn up too much ammo, I suspect,” she said.
Jason laughed. “We’ve got plenty of ammo. That’s the least of our problems at this point.”
“Think they supplied the other groups too?” Kim asked.
“Hope they supplied everybody except Simon Orr,” Jason said.
“You and me both,” Eric said.
“When’s the training start?” Francis asked.
“How about right after lunch?” Moe asked. “About 1:00.”
“Sounds good, Moe,” Jason said.
There were murmurs of agreement.
Don made his way over to Moe as the crowd was disbursing, Sydney at his side.
“Ah, Don, you decide on the trailer?”
“Yeah, I’ll take it,” he said. “Got a way I can tow it to a space? My wagon doesn’t have a trailer hitch yet.”
“Sure, I can help you out with that. Where do you want to be?”
“Wherever you’ve got space,” he said. “Not particular.”
“Are Chloe and Alyssa going to live with you?” Sydney asked.
“I don’t know,” Don said. “They’ve been staying with Francis. He’s got a bigger trailer. I’ll give them the option.”
“Maybe you should be close to them, then,” Sydney said.
“Where are they?” Moe asked.
“S54,” Don said.
“Hmmmm,” Moe said. “I think the closest I’ve got open to that is a row over and down six or seven spaces.”
“I’m sure that will be fine,” Don said.
“Okay, I’ll send Clancy to the yard with our tow vehicle. He’ll get you there and help you set up.”
“Thanks, Moe,” Don said. “I’ll be over there in a few minutes.” He walked out the door with Sydney.
“I probably should go check with Amanda,” Sydney said. “See if she needs some help with the still, since she’s learning the manufacturing process now.”
“Where’s she living?” Don asked.
Sydney chuckled. “Three guesses, but only since last night.”
“Maybe she just got shook up by the attack,” Don said.
“Yeah, maybe,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” Don said, watching her walk away.
“Daddy’s got a girlfriend,” Alyssa sang. Chloe was next to her laughing.
“Be nice,” Don said. “She’s not my girlfriend… not yet, anyway. I have no idea if that’s going to work out or not.”
“I know, I’m just kidding you,” Alyssa said. “Heard you talking to Moe. Do I have to move in there with you? I looked at the outside. It’s pretty small.”
“We’ll have to talk about that with Francis and Sherry,” Don said. “They might want to be alone, you know.”
“Sherry told me she wanted us to stay,” Chloe said.
“Yeah,” Alyssa said.
“Well, I don’t have a problem if they don’t, but I want to talk with them first, okay? I have to go. I see Clancy driving over to the storage yard.”
“We’ll see you later then,” Alyssa said.
Don went over to the storage yard as Clancy arrived.
Chapter 21 – Urgent Call
Nelson woke up on one of the bunks, in a room in the middle of the hall. He’d given the master to Kip and Maria, since they were together. He liked his room better anyway. It felt more comfortable to him somehow. The clock on the wall said 10:35.
“Dammit,” he said, getting out of bed. “That’s what I get for staying up so late.” He got dressed and left, heading down the hallway to the kitchen. Maria was out there making coffee in her white terrycloth robe.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. “Coffee coming up.”
“Did you just get up too?” Nelson asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Kip’s in the shower. Want something for breakfast? I’ll cook.”
“I think just coffee would be good now,” he said. “We got cereal?”
“Of course, but we only have powdered milk. We didn’t have time to get perishables from the fridge upstairs before… you know.”
“I don’t mind powdered milk,” Nelson said, “but coffee first. I stayed up way too late last night.”
“Us too,” Maria said. “Talk to your wife and family?”
“I sent them a message last night,” he said.
“They safe?”
“I hope so,” Nelson said. “I’d feel better if they were with me.”
“Yes, I can imagine,” Maria said.
“Hey, whatever happened to your sister?” Nelson asked.
“She escaped the hospital,” Maria said, worried look on her face.
“No, really?”
“Yep,” Maria said. “My mom called me before all of this happened.”
“You look worried,” Nelson said.
“My mom was trying to pawn her off on me again,” Maria said. “I said no. Good thing that I did, after what happened.”
“Does your sister know where you are?”
“Nope, and I’m gonna keep it that way,” Maria said. “My mom doesn’t know where I am either.”
“Surely she knows where Kip’s residence is.”
“She doesn’t know Kip and I got married,” Maria said. “I know that sounds terrible, but it’s best this way. It’s so complicated.”
Hendrix came out of the bedroom hall, hair still damp, wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants. “Sorry, Governor, this is all I had down here.”
Nelson laughed. “Hell, I had to put on the clothes I was wearing when we got here. I’ll have some clothes brought in later today.”
“We staying here for a while yet?” Hendrix asked.
“No choice at the moment,” Nelson said. “It’ll be at least a week, I’d imagine.”
Hendrix’s phone rang. He answered it, a smile washing across his face. “Thanks! I’ll take a look.” He ended the call. “They got video cameras up already. They were able to use the old wiring. It survived, thanks to that metal conduit we put it in.”
“Great,” Nelson said.
“I’ll go get the monitor program running,” Maria said. She went into the console room and sat down in front of the panel, typing and clicking with the mouse. It came up after a couple seconds. “My God, they really hit us hard. Look at all the rubble.”
Nelson and Hendrix looked over her shoulder.
“We’re lucky we survived this,” Hendrix said.
“Look, they’re putting up a temporary wall,” Maria said.
“What are we going to do with this place?” Hendrix asked.
“Rebuild, of course,” Nelson said. “Bigger and stronger that it was. Probably won’t have the class of the old building.”
Hendrix looked at him, trying to fight back tears. “Yes, it was a beautiful piece of architecture.”
Nelson’s phone rang. He looked at it. “Wallis. Been waiting for this. Excuse me a minute.” He walked away with the phone to his ear. Maria and Hendrix stayed in front of the monitor, Hendrix pulling a chair over next to Maria.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Are you?” she asked. “You sounded choked up about the house.”
“The building was Texas history,” Hendrix said. “Tough to lose it like this. Same with the Governor’s mansion. Thank God we didn’t lose the Capitol. We came way too close.”
Nelson rushed back in. “We need to do a conference call with the folks in Fort Stockton pronto.”
“Okay, I’ll set it up,” Maria said.
Hendrix looked Nelson in the eye. He shook his head no as he hit the contact for Ramsey. He put it on speaker.
“Ramsey, you hear us okay?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“We n
eed to have a conference call with Fort Stockton, us, Gallagher, and Wallis.”
“Oh, shit, what happened?”
“You’ll find out in the meeting. Call Fort Stockton, okay? We’re getting ourselves ready to connect.”
“Okay, will do. Talk to you in a few minutes.”
“This doesn’t sound good,” Hendrix said.
“It’s not that bad, but it’s urgent,” Nelson said.
“Okay, we’ve got the meeting up,” Maria said. “You want video?”
“Set it up, but it’s not that important.”
There was a click. “Hey, Governor.”
“Ramsey. Make contact?”
“Yeah,” he said. Wallis and Gallagher will be on in a second.
There was another click. “Gallagher here.”
“Good,” Nelson said.
There were two more clicks.
“Who just joined, please?” Maria asked.
“Jason Finley in Fort Stockton. We have people arriving at the clubhouse now.”
“Wallis here.”
“Okay, let’s get going,” Nelson said. “You want to tell us what happened, Wallis?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Simon Orr called Landry last night. He pitched a fit about the failed attacks on the Gulf and Fort Stockton.”
“Uh oh,” Gallagher said. “So now we know.”
“Yeah, now we know,” Wallis said. “Orr went nuts when Landry told him he’d been forced to stay in the bunker. Said he was going to move on his own.”
“Move against us, I suppose,” Jason said. There was murmuring from his location.
“Yeah, we can’t figure anything else,” Wallis said.
“We’d better make sure there’s air support in the area,” Gallagher said.
“Already in place,” Wallis said, “but we don’t want to have a battle at the RV Park. Too many important people there, and too much equipment to lose.”
“You want us to attack?” Curt asked.
“Yeah,” Wallis said. “You feel up to it?”
There was more murmuring from Fort Stockton. “Yes,” Jason said. “Where are they?”
“We know where they are,” Jasper said. Earl nodded in agreement.
“And we drew you those pictures of the inside, too, remember?” Earl said.
“I remember,” Junior said.
“Where are they exactly?” Gallagher asked.
“Abandoned factory,” Jasper said. “It’s pretty well fortified. We don’t want to just roll up there, unless we’re taking the tanks.”