It only took a couple of minutes on the ATV to reach the gate. I killed the engine and climbed off as soon as it came to a stop. As was my usual procedure I walked over to the gate and peered through a crack between the posts. I couldn't see anything so I went to the ladder leading up to the tower and climbed. When I reached the platform, I joined Dave who had arrived before me. He stared through a pair of binoculars and I gazed in the direction he was looking.
I could barely make out the forms of people moving around in the vegetation on either side of the road where it came through the hills. I asked Dave what he could see and he handed the binoculars to me without saying a word. I brought them to my eyes and adjusted the focus. The sight that greeted me scared the shit out of me like the Stinkies never had. I knew immediately that what I saw were professional, well-trained soldiers deploying to set up a blocking position. I knew without having to see it that the same thing was occurring at the cut on the east end of the valley. You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know this was bad.
Without taking the binoculars from my eyes I said, "Dave we need to go to red alert now." I heard him get on his radio to make the call. I continued to watch as the soldiers sealed off the valley. As I watched a team of soldiers were setting up a machine gun on a tripod that pointed straight at us. These guys were serious and didn't want us to leave. The question now was, what did they want?
I had a feeling I'd be finding out sooner rather than later. As soon as the machine gun crew was set up a convoy of three black SUVs came through the cut and headed up the road toward the gate. I yelled to everyone around the gate area to get ready. I didn't know what these vehicles were going to do but I knew it wouldn't be good.
The vehicles came on until they entered the serpentine. I instructed Dave to fire a round from his rifle in front of the vehicle to let them know they were close enough. Without hesitation, he skipped two rounds of the asphalt in front of the lead truck. They got the message and stopped. I told the tower guards and Dave to keep their weapons on the vehicles and to be ready for whatever happened. Dave asked what I thought might happen. “Not sure,” I said, “but it'll probably suck."
"Got that right," he mumbled as I started down the ladder. Once on the ground, I went to the gate and peered through my crack again. I couldn't see much because of the restricted vision but I was able to watch as the doors came open on the lead truck. A thought occurred to me and I got on the radio to Dave instead of yelling up to him. He clicked his push to talk button and looked over the edge of the platform toward me. Still on the radio, I told him if our visitors ask for who's in charge, to tell them the Boss’s at the Village Office and I'd take it from there. He hesitated for a second then said, "Okay."
Sure enough, the guy who'd gotten out of the front passenger seat asked to speak to the person in charge. Dave played his part and told him that the boss was in his office, then asked what they wanted. The guy put his hands on his hips and said, "I want to talk to your boss. That's why I asked where he was. Now run along and get him."
I didn't have to see Dave's face to know he had turned bright red and his finger had taken up the slack in his trigger. I motioned for the guards to open the gate just far enough for me to squeeze out. They pulled the heavy gate open about two feet; then stood ready to slam it shut if that became necessary. I stepped through into no man’s land again and waited. The three heavily armed men glanced at each other then started toward me. Without any verbal command that I could hear, two of the men took flanking positions to either side and just to the rear of the man I suspected was in charge. Their easy professionalism impressed me and I grudgingly respected them. These guy’s had worked together for a long time and it showed.
All of them were dressed similarly in cargo pants, boots, and short sleeved shirts. All wore baseball caps, gloves, and body armor. Each carried a pistol low on their right hip and an M-4 rifle held at the low ready. This was the most scared I'd been in recent history but I was determined not to let it show. I tried to take on a casual, uninterested air. Just another security guy, no big deal.
When the three guys from the truck reached an imaginary line about twenty-five feet away, I told them to stop. They didn't push it and stopped where I told them. I continued to stand relaxed with my hands at my waist near but not to near the butt of my pistol and waited for them to make the first move. After about ten seconds of nothing happening, I faked a yawn. That brought a smile to the leaders lips but not his eyes. Finally he asked me, "Are you the guy in charge?"
"Nope,” I said as I smiled back. "He sent me to find out what you want."
The leader looked down and shook his head for a second before looking back up and saying, "You know I'm getting tired of saying this. I want to talk to whoever’s running this place. Now are you going to get him or not?"
Once again I replied with, "Nope." I let that set in for a few seconds. "The way this works is you tell me what you want and I pass it on to the boss. If he wants to talk to you, he'll tell me and I'll take you to him." I stood my ground and continued to look him right in the eye while I waited for his response.
He started to get annoyed and he dropped his hands from his hips till they hung loose at his sides. I knew I only had seconds before he drew the pistol on his hip and my right hand slipped unnoticed closer to mine. We were in a standoff and I waited to see what he did when the door on the second vehicle came open. I glanced past the three facing me to see what this new threat was and was surprised to see a pair of high heels and shapely calves appear below the open door.
A very attractive woman with white-blonde spiky hair stepped from behind the door and called the name Whittaker. Without taking his eyes off me he said, "Yes, Ma’am." She started walking toward us and told him to relax. He complied but his stance didn't change.
As she came up to the three, she stepped around them to face me and with a big smile on her beautiful face. "I would like to speak to whoever is in charge please,” she said sweetly. “I have a proposition for him.” She continued to smile as I considered what she'd said. Before I could say anything she asked, "That’s not going to be a problem, is it?" I told her to wait a minute and I'd let the boss know. She nodded, and I stepped back inside the gate.
The guards pushed the gate shut as I stepped inside and I walked a few feet away so I could talk on the radio to Jim without anybody hearing. Jim answered as soon as I called. I told him the situation and what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to play the leader of The Dell. I told him what she had said about a proposition and not to commit to anything. He said he understood and would be ready. I went back to the gate and motioned for the guards to open it.
I stepped back out and faced the woman again. She smiled as I told her the boss would meet with her. She started to turn and go back to her vehicle when I said wait. She paused and turned back to me. "Only one vehicle and one security guard," I said. Before the could speak the guy named Whittaker stepped up. "No way. She doesn't go anywhere without a detail."
I shrugged. "No problem. You have a nice day then." I turned and started back toward the gate. I was about to step through when she said ‘wait.’ I paused and turned back to her.
"We need to reach a compromise here," she said, the smile still glued to her face.
"You feel free to compromise all you want, lady, but the boss said one vehicle and one guard. That's all that's getting through this gate. You need to decide how bad you want to talk to the boss," I said.
Whittaker stepped around and right into my face as he growled, "Listen you fu..." The woman shoved his shoulder before he could go any further.
She stepped back around him. "Calm down Whittaker," then turned to me. "We don't have anything to worry about, do we?" I assured her she was perfectly safe. She turned back to the man named Whittaker. "See, it's safe. Our new friend says it is." She turned back to me and flashed her best toothy smile. I smiled back and nodded.
They loaded into the first vehicle and I had the guards open the gate
to allow them entry. I had Dave stay at the gate in case anything happened while I was in the village, "Don't take any chances," I told him. "They aren't here on a friendly visit. Whatever they want, it's a good bet that it's bad for us so don't hesitate. If it looks like they’re going for their guns kill as many as you can." He nodded and I went to the ATV to lead the black Ford Excursion to Jim's office.
It only took a minute to reach town and park in front of the Village Office. Jim waited outside and greeted the woman and Whittaker, inviting them inside. I followed and continued to play my part as security. A surprising number of people stood along the wall of Jim’s small office and I could see a few were armed. I hoped we wouldn’t need that but I was glad they were there. Jim indicated for the woman to sit as he moved around behind his desk and took his seat.
As soon as she was seated she introduced herself, "My name is Doctor Alanis Dumont and I work for the Department of Defense."
Before she could go further, Jim interrupted. "Who's Department of Defense?" She told him the United States Department of Defense and Jim replied, "I was under the impression that the United States government no longer functioned."
For the first time, her smile slipped but only for a second. "Of course, the government’s functioning. Why else would I be here?" she said.
"I have no idea. Why are you here?" Jim asked.
"I'm here to purchase this compound on behalf of the U.S. government,” she said.
Her comment caught me by surprise and the only thing Jim could say was, "Huh?" Everyone in the room looked at each other as if they weren't sure what they'd heard. We all turned to her and waited.
She didn't make us wait long and repeated, "I want to buy this place. I'm here to offer you a lot of money." The smile came back and she did her best to sound perky and upbeat. I still couldn't believe what I heard. Was she crazy? Didn't she know what was going on? This was nuts.
Eventually Jim spoke. "Miss Dumont, I'm not sure what you're talking about. What do you mean offer us money?"
She started to look flustered as if she talked to a bunch of simpletons. "Mister Holley, it’s simple. You sell me this compound and I pay you money. You act as if you've never sold anything before," she said trying to sound funny.
"I understand buying and selling, miss. My problem is, what do you expect us to do with money?" Jim asked, looking as confused as he sounded. The good Doctor seriously got flustered. She started to fidget in her chair and the smile slipped as a pink tinge crept from her neck up into her cheeks.
She looked at Jim. "I don't care what you do with the money. Buy another place somewhere else. Move to Florida and buy a condo for all I care, but you people need to get out of this compound. It belongs to the U.S. government now."
Jim tried to keep his cool. "Miss Dumont, are you aware what’s going on out there? There is not a U.S. government and money is worthless. We have no intention of leaving this place. We just finished building it."
Jim glanced at me and I nodded to assure him he was right. Miss Dumont had evidently had enough of dealing with us because she chose that moment to flip out. "Who do you think you are? And it’s Doctor Dumont. I represent the government. You can't tell me no," she screamed, her face flushed red now.
I watched Whittaker intensely now. I had a feeling he’d react poorly and I wasn't disappointed. As the crazy woman continued her rant, he slipped his right hand down to the holstered pistol on his hip. I had my right side turned slightly away from him and had already eased my 45 out and held it against my right leg. As soon as I saw his thumb unsnap the holster, I moved. In a split second, the muzzle of my pistol was pushed into his right temple none to gently. "Don't," I said. "If that pistol starts out of the holster, I'm going to put a great big hole in your head." I think he believed me because he froze. The screaming had stopped and all eyes in the room were on us now.
"Very slowly, I want you to put your hands on top of your head. Nod once if you understand." I said as I backed away from him a couple of steps. He nodded and his hands rose. As soon as he followed my orders, I stepped forward and removed the pistol from his holster. I tucked it into my belt in the small of my back and then told Jim to call Camille at the EOC and get some security over here. Jim got on the radio and did as I asked.
I looked at Dr. Dumont and introduced myself. "Doctor, my name is Scott Williams and I'm in charge here. Jim works for me." She looked at me with undisguised contempt but didn't say anything. "There will be no deal. We’re not interested in your money or selling The Dell. You will be escorted back to the gate. My advice to you is to get in your vehicles and go back to where ever you came from and leave us alone. You will not be happy with the results if you persist in trying to take this place away from us."
Her smile completely vanished and she no longer tried to hide the fact that she was totally bat shit crazy. "Mister Williams, I intend to own this compound and I'm going to have it no matter what it takes. I'm prepared to give you five million dollars. You can either profit from this or I will see you all dead."
"Lady, get in line. You are just the latest in a long line of people that want us dead. We aren't selling and your threats don't concern me. Frankly, you can go to hell," I replied. That pretty well ended the conversation and when the security team showed up we shoved Dumont and Whittaker into their vehicle and headed them back to the gate.
Once at the gate, I walked up to the driver’s side of the vehicle and Whittaker rolled down his window. He sneered at me and asked for his hand gun back. I pulled the pistol out of my belt and looked at it; I hadn't looked at it in Jim's office. I was impressed; it was a Heckler and Koch USP 40 caliber. Nice pistol. I dropped the magazine out and pulled the slide back to eject the round in the chamber. Once it was clear, I flipped it around so that I held the barrel and with all my strength I winged it over the T-wall. Whittaker's eyes followed the pistol as it spun up, over, and out of sight. I pitched the magazine in through the window so that it landed in his lap. He looked down at the magazine then back up at me. He smiled at me. "You know I'm going to kill you for that,” he said.
"Give it your best shot. Hope you don't mind if I resist a little." I rebutted and motioned for the guards to open the gate. I glanced past Whittaker to where Dr. Dumont sat. She sat back straight staring out the windshield. Her teeth were gritted and her face was flushed with anger. I couldn't believe I had thought she was attractive when I first saw her. She was, in fact, a very ugly woman.
As soon as the gate opened I told Whittaker, "Get out and don't come back." He didn't respond just gassed the big vehicle through the gate. I told the guards to close it and asked Dave to join me. He climbed down from the tower and asked what happened. It took a couple of minutes to fill him in and he expressed surprise that I had let them go. I told him I didn't want those two assholes here any longer than necessary. He asked what I thought would happen next.
We didn't have long to wait to find out. Before I could answer automatic weapons fire erupted all around us. I heard rounds impacting the wood of our guard towers and looked up in time to see the body of one of the guards tumble out and fall to the ground. He bounced slightly and was still. I yelled for Dave to get on the radio and tell the tower guys to take cover as I ran to the downed guard. When I reached the guard, I could see blood running from several holes in his back. I rolled him over and it was obvious he was dead. He was one of the Sea Bees that had just come in and I didn't know his name. I'd have to tell Camille about the loss. It was sure to hit her hard.
Dave's radio was alive with calls from the guard towers spaced around the wall. I could hear the call for evacuation of wounded and knew there were more casualties. The situation was bad and getting worse as we tried to get our shit together. Whittaker's people were trying to disable our eyes; to make us blind and they were doing a damn fine job so far. If we couldn't see what they were doing then we couldn't be ready for them.
"Dave we have got to get our heavy weapons into the fight," I told him.
I climbed into the tower staying on my hands and knees to be below the top of the wall. Once I got set, I raised my head and shoulders above the top of the wall and was rewarded with a burst of full auto fire. Thankfully, I expected this and dropped as soon as I popped up. With my idea proven, I climbed back down and told Dave. "They've blinded us. There's only one reason they would do that."
"They're planning to assault us," Dave finished for me. I nodded and told him to make sure that the perimeter was covered. I wanted the gun trucks spread around our side of the wall in case we had to fight inside the compound. He said he'd take care of it and I took the ATV to the Security Office. At the EOC I told Camille about her man being killed. She took it better than I expected and immediately turned back to work. As soon as Dave showed up, the three of us started trying to find a way out of this situation. It was dark before I knew it and I told Dave I needed to go see about Kat. He told me he had it and that if anything happened he'd call on the radio.
I took the ATV up to the cottage and talked to Kat a few minutes. She fixed me a cup of coffee and added a healthy shot of Bookers. After finishing the cup, I felt fortified and told her I needed to get back out. She told me to be careful and I kissed her, grabbed my rifle and vest, and went out the door. There was a spot on the wall that had a slight bend in it due to the way the land laid. It’s the only blind spot in our security and I had a feeling that Whittaker knew about it. If his people were going to try coming over the wall, that would be the best place. I intended to be waiting.
We Go On (THE DELL) Page 23