Legacy of the Living

by Sean Liebling

  "They did but I ignored them. They’re built over a heavily modified and elongated M1 chassis and those tracks work wonderfully on purifying zombies, if a bit slow. Fill me in."

  "Are you familiar with the Aegis systems, sir?"

  "You bet." The Aegis Missile defense system had been standard on most naval ships, Frigate size and up, when I was still in. Comprised of eight tubes in a rectangular launcher, mounted on a gimbal tracking system, they were fantastic at taking out aircraft and ballistic missiles fired from enemy aircraft or surface facilities. These were smaller than what I was used too, but I had been told by the techs that they served the same purpose. They were just slightly shorter in range, but with field deployment capabilities. That is why I had them manned. It was only by luck that Colonel Weston had run across their platoon as he was leaving the refugee center and commanded them to follow. A Badger platoon consisted of a Master Sergeant with three launch vehicles, a command radar vehicle and assorted supply and replenishment vehicles. This particular unit had just moved up from the Guard Base in the Lake Michigan Delta, where they had been awaiting transportation through the Suez locks and then eventual deployment to the Middle East. Their new sketchy orders had indicated support for northern refugee camps, so they had picked one on the fly.

  "Same thing, Sir, only slightly cut down for use on ground vehicles and installations, but uses the same Mark 41 launch system. However, the missiles are different. I believe the systems you are familiar with used the SM-3 missile. These babies use the LM-2, which was specifically designed for this system. A decade or so ago, Lockheed Martin received the contract for a field support and anti-air and missile-defense system based on a mobile platform. It was not until 2014 that they actually went into production, and the number of units is limited, which is why I was surprised to see one here. The missiles are about a third shorter in length, which equates to the same reduction in range, so call it less than two hundred miles with guidance specific targeting, or maybe even one hundred fifty. The trade-off is they're a lot lighter and can be reloaded much quicker."

  "Guidance systems?" I prompted, but he waved me down with a calming motion.

  "I'm getting to that sir. Just providing you a bit of the history, and how it relates to what you're familiar with. The Control Vehicle has six split radar screens so technically the six operators can control twenty-four missiles at once, but they're really designed to control only six to twelve at a time, and we only have four operators. Standard fire and forget, radar, heat seeking and IFF locks, using a combination of PESA and AESA targeting radar systems for both passive and active locks. Need a lesson on those Sir?"

  "No, I'm familiar with phased array systems. Keep going," I instructed and he continued.

  "They can also be manually guided, but manual is useless against missiles. Any incoming missiles will be moving too fast, but they're great against ground installations because these are the new-generation babies, and they can multitask with remote via predator drone, or satellite guidance. What we have here are tactical versions so their range against aircraft and missile defense is about two hundred and forty kilometers, or call it a hundred and fifty miles, including ground strikes. Good stuff sir`, and these are brand new, commissioned in 2016. We're lucky to have them, but we only have thirty-two spares on the flatbeds so call it a standard triple loud-out of replacements. We have forty-eight in total available, but there might be more at the Great Lakes Naval Depot."

  "OK good." I had been nodding throughout his quick description. Most of the information I knew already, but the range fascinated me. "How can their effectiveness be maximized?"

  "They need to be dug in sir. They put out a huge radar signature when activated so the launchers and control vehicle will be right at the top of any enemy's priority list. Deep revetments by the way. We could even mostly bury them, which would probably be best. That would hide a lot of their signature and create ground scatter, so they'll be harder to see and hit. Think of a big blurry red blotch on an enemies’ targeting and acquisition system." I kept nodding as Hawk spoke.

  "Good. Then since you're the expert, take control of them from the 53rd and ring this town at whatever the appropriate distance is. Set up anti-air and fire suppression batteries at every apex. Man those radars and don't stop! While you're at it I want Stinger crews at whatever the normal spacing is around our position. Lock us down hard! I'm about to cut LSS loose on the radio so the fuckers that caused all this shit will know we're here, and reports are indicating the Shadow Government is using air strikes against loyal troop positions." The Stinger was primarily a ground-to-air anti-aircraft weapon that was deployed as either hand-held or battery mounted on select Humvees and other assault vehicles, including some of our Strykers. Our arsenal currently numbered several hundred of the FIM-92 Stingers, and I wanted them out there when the shit hit the fan next.

  "Yes Sir!" he grinned. Chief Hawkins knew without a doubt that when we announced ourselves to the world things were likely to get busy, and he was the true rough and tough type that gloried in mayhem. I saw his hands flexing and knew he would be on the upside of some bad shit if it came our way. The Bradleys had been indispensable last night in taking out large groups of zombies by simply running over them at forty mph with their tracked cleats. The two Stinger array-equipped were perfect for that assignment and would be essential when the Shadow Government sent aircraft against us. We knew they would come. We had no doubt.

  I also had plans for the two that were Bushmaster equipped with the 25mm cannon, and the three Strykers that were TOW equipped with quad tubes, in case armor was sent against us. I would get to that another time. Shortwave and Military satellite communications were saying the Eastern seaboard was completely gone, and I doubted anything human remained with the possible exception of this shadow government group. There were too many zombies out there in the high population centers.

  "Alright, the rest of you. You know your jobs. LSS gave you the maps. Let's get those fire lanes cleared out, and we'll use contractor trailers as guard posts and reinforce them with concrete blocks. Do it people, I want it done yesterday! Miguel, wait please." I waited a minute to see if anyone had any questions, but none did and most had already run off to their assigned duties. LSS had remained behind also as I had instructed her earlier. I turned to Miguel as the others filed out.

  "Bro." I was addressing Miguel as the Master Sergeant stood silently by. "It will never be the right time, but start thinking of a replacement for Pete. With more and more refugees arriving, we need someone to handle the food logistics. Sandy could probably do it, but I am not asking her right now. She needs time to heal." Miguel grimaced in acknowledgement, grief filling his eyes.

  "Si, Senor. You are right. I will get on it." He turned and walked away sadly.

  *****

  Corporal Rider, or LSS as her man Jay the commander referred to her, sighed in frustration. It was obvious their man was not getting enough sleep. Her new trainees were picking up instruction in the Command Vehicle's equipment, as well as she expected, for she had chosen carefully. This meant they were on the job and doing fairly well. She had previously briefed the clearing crews yesterday, and they knew their jobs. The work had already begun, and the plan was simple. Build a concentric fire and patrol zone around their current living quarter's position, then a larger one around the area they would farm. As each was built, the zombies would be cleared out of the area between the furthermost and the innermost circle. If things went to hell out there, they would fall back to the housing ring. It was a lot of work, but it was needed because their numbers had reached over two thousand and were growing fast. They needed the space, and Newaygo had originally only housed three thousand five hundred people before this happened. "Any word on that Guard unit you mentioned earlier?" Jay had turned and was gently holding her left arm, talking as he walked. His eyes never settled in one place but constantly roved as he pulled her away. He was guiding them towards the command vehicle, and inadvertently her he
art gave a little jump as she remembered their last time there.

  "Well sir, I have no numbers yet. From their unit designation, they could potentially number several hundred, perhaps even a thousand with auxiliaries, but that would be at full strength, so my guess is considerably less. They've combined with another Infantry group, and both are headed our way. I asked for strength and effectives, but they're playing it close and not giving away much information. With at least three-quarters of the military dead or turned into zombies, I would say probably two, maybe three light companies or possibly a bit more, hopefully with supporting elements if they scrounged, as seems to be the case lately. The Infantry Company is just that. A Company, so hopefully two hundred or maybe less, give or take. I just don't know enough yet Sir." LSS saw him nod at her words.

  "When will they be here?" he asked.

  "They said a couple of days, even though they indicated they were coming from the FEMA camp near Flint which really is not that far. They're being careful with their equipment and avoiding large groups of the zombies while supporting an unknown number of survivors. They also have to salvage fuel for all the vehicles so that's delaying them some."

  "Alright, now what about the broadcast, and do you have any ideas on the format?"

  "Yes Sir. I was thinking of a basic general announcement about you being the interim governor unless the current governor comes forward. All military units to report in here and bring any survivors they come across, along with as many supplies as they can obtain. Do the same on the CB for civilian survivors. We will loop it to run continuously. I can program one of my transmitters to cycle through all the military frequencies. I'll do the same for the CB on channel 9 through the repeaters. What we really need is a good fifty thousand watt AM radio transmitter. That would cover a quarter of the state, maybe more. It should cover most of the state at night, with no solar interference."

  "I'm betting you have an idea on where to acquire one." He was smiling at her now, and she felt herself starting blush.

  "Of course, Sir! Fremont has one. WSHN 1550 KHz. But we can reprogram it to any frequency we want. Something in middle band preferably. 1000 or 1200 AM maybe."

  "When we acquire this radio station, make it 1300 AM. That used to be a major news station around here and basically covered all of Southwestern and Central Michigan."

  "Yes Sir." They had reached the command vehicle, and the commander opened the hatch, waving her in first. She could tell he was preoccupied so her hopes died a little. As they took seats inside, she was surprised and pleased when he pulled her out of her seat into his lap. She instantly wrapped her arms around him and felt her blood pressure rise as he wrapped his around her. Maybe...

  "Steve will have intel on Fremont by early afternoon. We need to clear it out and take it back from the zombies because the town is needed for incoming survivor housing, and while I haven't talked to Dr. Mansk yet I already know we have to be running shy on medical supplies. There’s a hospital there. Then we’ll locate WSHN. Every radio station I've ever been in has a generator for power outages, so they could get their emergency broadcasts out. We'll fill the tank full and just refill as needed. You can simply make a new recording if you need to, right?"

  "Yes Sir. I can put a recording in whatever equipment they have. No worries, Sir." She wiggled in his lap, her arms tightening slightly, but he didn't respond. Damn, it was not looking good for her fantasies.

  "OK, the announcement. I want you to record it, LSS. You have a beautiful and clear voice when it's not muffled by clothing." He was grinning at her. Two days ago he had taken her roughly. Tied her down, and muffled her cries with her own clothing, then used her body like the plaything she wanted to be to him. It had been wonderful.

  "Oh my God, Sir!" She knew she was blushing now, but hugged him tighter. A hug he returned twofold, mashing her tits into his broad chest. Yay, she thought as she started kissing on his neck, working her way up to his ear. Then he pulled back, and her hopes were dashed. She sighed.

  "Not now LSS." He grinned and kissed her lightly before continuing. "I'm too busy, probably later though. You just made me horny as hell!"

  The commander was being a damn tease. She started to growl but he stopped her with a hard kiss, his tongue exploding into her mouth. She was squirming now and starting to hate him as she eagerly sucked on his tongue, her fingers roaming all over his body.

  "Damn it! What did I tell you?" He was breaking their kiss, and his left hand was squeezing her breast through her uniform top.

  "Me? You're the one with your hand on my breasts."

  "Breast, LSS; only one. Although you're right, I am neglecting the other, but only for now." Then he released her and stood up with her in his arms, setting her gently in the seat he had just vacated. She knew her face was beet red and she was horny as hell now, thanks to him, but too sore to do anything about it herself. Damn him!

  "I'll be back, sexy thing. I have to get some people moving in the right direction before the day gets any older. Get on that military broadcast as in now. I wanted the new announcement cycling across the bands five minutes ago." Then he was out the hatch with a jaunty wave, leaving her to sit there fuming at him while she tried to collect herself. A few minutes later a thought occurred to her, and she started smiling to herself as she got back to work setting up the systems to record a wide spectrum broadcast. So he thought she had resisted the last time did he? Well, he hasn't seen resistance yet. She started giggling to herself as she worked.

  *****

  DAY 8: 0900 ET FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH

  I ran out of there before I got carried away. The body on LSS was just too damn tight to ignore, and I wanted her badly but had to see Top before he left. I needed to tell him something I had thought of two days ago but kept forgetting, and after last night, it needed doing, right now. I took my time looking for him and thought of other things, hoping my damn hard-on would go down before anyone noticed.

  I found him near the front gate passing out assignments to the troops. He looked harried and a bit tired. He'd get over it, for the day was just starting.

  "Top!" I said as I came running up. "I have another project for you." Uh oh, he just rolled his eyes then shook his head.

  "Sir! I have over twenty squads out. We're combing the area and getting rid of any zombies in the surrounding woods. Almost all my men have machetes, and we're using them to conserve ammunition where we can. What is it you need?" I grinned at his exasperation, but he owed me. I'd saved his woman and her kids, after all.

  "Simple. When you set up the training for the kids and adults, I want you to grab Jean and Cara and make them train also. Oh, and test LSS to make sure she's good with that M4 she carries around. We all need to stay sharp." I saw him smile with relief, and he nodded.

  "Already tested Corporal Rider and she's OK, but could use more practice. Cara is decent also, barely, so same. Jean is not that good. Great idea Commander, but we'll train them separate from the others. I want them to get some hand to hand in also. Hell, you never know."

  "Great! OK, I have to run. Have fun."

  He flipped me a salute without answering, but the salute was real. I had no concerns, and knew he would get it done. OK, what next. I needed to see Miguel. He would probably be up in his office. I headed in.

  I weaved through the throngs getting breakfast, and grabbed myself some while I was at it. This morning it was oatmeal, fried potatoes and eggs. I really missed bacon, but what the hell. We had plenty of food for now, and if I planned things right we would continue to be OK in that department. I greeted a few as I made my way to the front and the stairs while finishing my plate. My kids were nowhere to be seen, but they had a hefty guard so I was not too worried. I just missed the hell out of them and vowed to spend some time with them later. Daddy time was getting hard to squeeze in, and it was needed.

  Upstairs, there were the usual two guards in the hallway. We chatted for a bit about nothing really, and then I entered Miguel's office expecting t
o see him. Instead, I saw Jean on her knees bent over, facing in my direction while arranging piles of folders on the floor. She needed a bigger table for sure, but that wasn’t what suddenly took my breath away and made my cock harden like a steel rod. In that position, she was all but falling out of that tight little black halter she was wearing. Her massive breasts looked ready to squirt free, and suddenly I had to have them in my hands.

  "I'll be with you in a minute, just have a seat," she said, busy with her sorting; she hadn’t looked up yet.

  Without responding, I reached behind me until I found the rod controlling the blinds and twisted them closed. I simply could not take my eyes off her. Then I reached down and unzipped my jeans loudly.

  She noticed me then, and looked up quickly. I saw her draw in a deep breath and start smiling. "Hey baby," she whispered. I didn't answer her, but I did move forward, reaching down. Then my tactical net went live, and LSS's voice filled my ear.

  *****

  DAY 8: 0930 ET FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11TH

  Hearing the plate glass door crack from the increasing weight of the zombies pushing against it, the Reaper took his eyes off the young man that had saved him and, looking above the door, grabbed the heavy steel security roll cage and trundled it downward, then kicked the locking pins in place.

  "That will hold them for a few, but it's not a solution," he remarked in an offhand way as he turned, facing the other man again. Behind him, the plate glass door cracked again but held. "Come Travis Kreuter. Let's get to someplace a little quieter." The Reaper drew his machete and led the way into the well-lit interior.

  The owners had placed quite a few skylights within the rooms and corridors of the single-story structure. One of those new eco-friendly designs that actually used more electricity to heat in the winter, and cool in the summer, Jason thought. All these radio stations had very similar designs, and he led Travis down the central hallway to a metal door in the back labeled, "Maintenance", pausing at each open office doorway while looking for Satan's spawn. So far, the place was empty of both the living and non-living, which suited the Reaper just fine. A quick check showed the maintenance room with its control panel and power equipment to be empty also, and he waved Travis in before closing the door and locking it.