Gordy Phillips said, “The games of cat and mouse are over sir. Unless the Captain of the Russian ship is crazy, they have no hostile intentions; and the Russians don’t put crazies on their newest class submarines. I think the highest probability is that they’re just like us; trying to figure out what the hell’s going on.”
Sanchez smiled. His Executive Officer was the best. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, the guy would never get a chance to command his own ship. “Gordy, that’s also my take on the situation. I’m thinking we should risk making contact and see if they want to exchange information.”
There was no disagreement among the other officers. An hour later the officers and the crew were at their battle stations and within a half-mile of the Akula. Sanchez said, “Freddie, please send out one loud ping on your active sonar. That should wake them up.”
The Jimmy Carter’s crew could feel the loud ping as the sound wave moved away from the ship. The ping would be clearly felt by the Akula leaving little doubt regarding the origin of the sound.
Sanchez glanced at his watch and waited for the Russian ship’s response. How long would it take the Russian Captain to analyze the situation and make his decision?
The Russians responded in less than thirty seconds with their own ping. Sanchez knew the quick response meant the Akula had known they were nearby. The Russian passive sonar must be getting better. “Gordy, change course and bring us on the same heading as the Akula and then take us slowly up to periscope depth.”
“Aye aye captain.” The Jimmy Carter slowly turned onto a heading of 310 degrees and pulled parallel to the Akula. As the Jimmy Carter rose to periscope depth, the Akula matched its move. Sanchez ordered, “Up scope, let’s see what we can see.”
After the periscope was fully extended, Captain Sanchez looked through the optics at the other submarine. He zoomed in on the other sub’s periscope and decided to use the periscope’s light system to flash Morse code messages to contact the Akula. He hoped the Russian Captain knew English because he knew no Russian.
His message read, “Good morning Akula. This is the USS Jimmy Carter. Military maneuvers seem to be a thing of the past. Would you like to talk?”
A minute later an answer was flashed back. “Jimmy Carter, yes let’s talk. Maybe together we can figure out what’s going on. We will surface and come to a dead stop.”
Sanchez ordered the Jimmy Carter to the surface and thirty minutes later both submarines were sitting side by side. Both ship’s crews threw lines across to the other submarine and the two massive attack submarines were lashed together.
Captain Sanchez waited on the foredeck as a gangplank was placed between the two boats. A Russian officer, probably the captain of the Akula was waiting for the gangplank to be secured, and as soon as it was in place he walked quickly onto the Jimmy Carter. Sanchez saluted his adversary and the Russian Captain returned the salute.
The Russian, Captain Igor Stamenov, introduced himself to Sanchez who then introduced the Russian captain to his officers. Igor Stamenov spoke excellent English. “Captain Sanchez, I always wanted to set foot on an American submarine.”
Sanchez answered, “If any of my superior officers knew you were on my ship, I’d probably be immediately shot, but none of them are alive now, so I guess I’m safe.”
Stamenov laughed. “In the hopes of better relations in this new world, perhaps we can arrange tours on both our boats. With luck, they may become ships of peace not war.”
Sanchez said, “We need to talk and exchange information.” Sanchez debated with himself about whether to meet inside the Jimmy Carter, and finally decided to treat his guests properly. Captain Stamenov motioned for his officers to come aboard the U.S. sub. They quickly walked across the gangplank, and then to the amazed stares from both crews, the officers of both ships disappeared inside the sail’s hatch and climbed down into the control center of the Jimmy Carter.
The Jimmy Carter’s shocked crew watched as the Russian sailors were led into the crew’s mess area. The ship’s cooks provided everyone with coffee and tea and then both captains looked at each other and laughed.
Sanchez said, “So my friend, it seems our long fought battles are finally over. We have more important things to worry about.”
Three of the Russian’s eight officers spoke little English, so Stamenov translated. The Russians first wanted to know about the global pandemic. Luckily their medical officer spoke English, and the two medical officers exchanged facts and suspicions about the worldwide plague. The CDC seemed to have a better understanding of the disease than what the Russians knew. Perhaps their government knew the facts but decided to not share the information with their military personnel.
The key point of discussion was with regard to when it might be safe to return to society. For both medical officers, it was just a guess. Both captains then explained everything that had happened to their ships from the beginning of the pandemic to the present. The Russian ship had been stationed off Nova Scotia when the disease spread, and just as with the Jimmy Carter, they were the only Russian ship spared from the disease.
Stamenov explained that a Russian cruiser had run aground off the east coast of Russia. All of their crew died early from the disease, and the ship just kept on its heading until it reached dry land. They too had finally lost all contact with their home port, and since they were so close to the United States, they had decided to look for survivors along the east coast until they felt it was safe to return to Mother Russia.
The discussion then turned to food supplies. The Russians were hurting. They had not been able to forage for food, and were afraid to land on U.S. soil. Sanchez asked Gordy to have the ship’s cooking staff talk to their Russian counterparts to see if we could exchange some supplies. Sanchez then explained to Stamenov about their successful stop on Samana Cays in the Bahamas. He showed Stamenov the location of the island, and suggested that other islands might also have wild game they might kill. Stamenov was grateful.
The discussion finally turned to the future. Stamenov said, “When we finally return to our home port we’re going to have to figure out what the status of our country is, and I’m guessing it will be similar to what you’re finding. I’m afraid it will be many years before the east and west can once again resume our relations.”
Gordy Phillips, who had returned from the kitchen, said, “Captain, perhaps we can maintain communications between our two countries. We were able to listen in to some survivors in Europe on the shortwave band. Let’s agree on a wavelength where we can stay in contact. At least we’ll be able to continue our conversation.”
Stamenov said, “An excellent thought Officer Phillips. Please work with our communications officer to set up the system.”
Stamenov then invited the U.S. crew to come aboard his ship for a tour. The officers of both ships crossed over onto the deck of the Akula, and as the Russian sailors looked on in amazement; their captain led the Americans below deck to see the wonders of the Russian Navy’s most modern submarine.
A few hours after the tour, a variety of food supplies moved between the two boats, with a majority of food moving toward the Akula. It was dusk when the two captains said it was time to say farewell. Both crews lined up on their respective decks, and after saluting the other ship, the gangplanks were removed and the two boats moved slowly away from the other.
Both submarines travelled on the surface for a few miles before submerging into a dark sea.
Chapter 31
Lieutenant Monroe and five of his fellow soldiers arrived at the dairy farm along with Jessie, George, and me a little after nine o’clock the next day. Barbara Gordon walked out of her barn to greet us. She was shocked to see the soldiers dressed in full combat gear.
Other workers gathered around our group, and I gave the same speech I had given to the campus people two days earlier. They showed a mixture of emotions; first shock at the potential danger and then relief at the commitment the MacDill soldiers were making to th
e protection of their community.
Lieutenant Monroe and his team began setting up defensive positions around the farm. They set up a launching site for a small battery powered drone and launched the small airplane. One of the soldiers sat at a small table, and used a laptop computer linked up with an overhead satellite to fly the silent drone in a search pattern looking for any threats.
Meanwhile, Jessie, George, and I met with Barbara. She was delighted to see us and gave us each a glass of cold milk. It tasted wonderful. “This is the first batch from the pasteurization plant down the road. I’ve got about fifty gallons for you to take back to the campus.”
“The kids will love it,” I said.
Barbara pulled out a container from her fridge. “Try this,” she said. She smiled as we tasted small pieces of the light-yellow cheese. It was delicious. It tasted a little like very mild Cheddar. “We made this yesterday. I think it’s pretty good. We’ll have a lot more in another week.”
We finished our snack, and then Barbara took us on a tour of the farm. Two of the volunteers were in the barn running the automated milking machines. We stopped by each person and talked to them about what they were doing. They all seemed to be enjoying their life on the farm. We then took Barbara’s car on a short trip to the next farm down the road. Three of our people were feeding cattle roaming free on the large fenced-in acreage.
Barbara said, “We’ve been collecting any cattle we can find and bringing them all here. I’m guessing we’ll be able to collect several hundred. There’re several grain silos nearby filled with feed corn. I’m guessing we’ll have enough to last a year. I’ve got to talk to Manny about planting corn for next year. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to have a sustaining herd to meet our needs.”
I said, “I can’t believe what you’ve accomplished in only a few days.” George and Jessie also had wonderful things to say about what Barbara and her people had achieved. “Come with me,” She said. “I’ve got one more thing to show you.”
We walked over to a large barn at the second farm. Inside, the smell was terrible, but one of our residents, Maria Fernandez, was busy feeding about a hundred hens strutting around in large caged areas. She had a huge grin on her face. “Come here,” she said, “I have a gift for the people at the campus.”
She walked to a corner of the barn and handed us two large cardboard cartons filled with fresh eggs. I gave Maria a hug and thanked her on behalf of the residents. As Blaine had correctly stated, we were a gifting society, and a good one at that.
Lieutenant Monroe left one of his soldiers in charge, and we headed back to the campus with a number of goodies for the campus residents. On the drive back, Vince said, “I can’t believe all the things you guys have accomplished in just a few weeks.”
Jessie answered, “Necessity is the mother of invention, and luckily we’ve got some wonderful people who have the right mix of skills.”
Vince continued, “I want to spend the afternoon training the people who will defend the campus. How many do you think will want to help out?”
I answered, “All of them have seen Debbie. They all understand the threat. I’m not sure how many will want to learn how to fire a gun, but I think they’ll all want to help out any way they can.”
George said, “I think we’ll have over 100 volunteers.”
Chapter 32
There were almost 120 residents who showed up for training, all ages, both men and women. We all met in the parking lot. Monroe shook his head in amazement. He called Major Connors and ordered more guns and ammunition. The major promised to have Captain Stewart bring them on her return to Fort Myers.
Jessie showed up with her bow and arrows. The lieutenant looked at her and shook his head. Jessie told him there was good place to practice just off to the west in a field next to a wooded area. Jessie led the way to the field. Monroe then explained to the residents who had no weapons that he had asked for more weapons to be sent down from MacDill.
We all sat down on the grass, and the lieutenant explained how the M16 rifles operated. We watched as he disassembled the weapon and then put it back together. We then tried, and about half of us couldn’t repeat the process, but after repeated attempts, everyone was successful. He then spent time explaining how the gun worked: the safety, changing ammunition clips, holding the rifle in different fighting positions, and finally aiming the weapon.
Then it was time to practice shooting. We took turns trying to hit a tree 500 yards away, all except for Jessie who had walked over to the archery target she had taken from the sporting goods store. While we all tried our best at hitting the tree, Jessie began practicing her skills with her bow and arrows. She was actually pretty good at hitting the target. I could tell this wasn’t the first time she had been using bows and arrows.
My fellow survivors were practicing with determination. They all seemed to understand the potential evil lurking at their doorsteps, and they were going to fight for their survival, and if that meant using guns to protect their new family, then so be it.
Lieutenant Monroe circulated along the line of residents, correcting form and giving praise when people struck their targets. We all spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to become citizen soldiers.
At the end of the practice session, Monroe explained our defensive strategy. “We should have advance warning of their approach. We will expect them to enter the campus through the main entrance or from the east. If we get enough advance notice, I’ll bring the soldiers back from the dairy farm. I will place a few of my soldiers near the main entrance along both sides of the road. You will then position yourselves along both sides of the road and lay down fire as they approach. Do not let them pass this point. Otherwise we will lose the advantage. Any questions?”
One of the men asked, “Will we build barricades for protection?” “Beginning tomorrow we will cut down trees and stack them in strategic areas to provide protection.”
With no further questions, Monroe asked everyone to keep their weapons close at hand and to stay within the campus if at all possible.
As we were walking back to the apartments, Vince asked Jessie, “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”
“At summer camp. I was the best archer; I even won an award.” I smiled at her. “Jessie, why didn’t you put archer down as one of your skills on Margaret’s spreadsheet?”
Jessie laughed, “I didn’t think it was a very important skill back then; now I know different.” Captain Stewart, Sammy, and Blaine arrived a little after five o’clock. They had brought more guns and ammunition with them in their UHaul truck. We all shared a glass of wine before walking to the dining area.
Beth served cold milk for dinner. Most of the kids were going back for seconds and the adults were enjoying the kids being kids. Beth said she was going to fix eggs for breakfast.
During dinner Stan came up to me. “The toilets are overflowing on the first floors in some of the apartments. I talked to Bill. He thinks it’s because the sanitary sewer treatment plant isn’t working, and all the sewers are backed up. We’ll check it out first thing in the morning. Till then we’re digging a latrine back near the woods.”
“What a pleasant thought,” I said. “Shit flowing down the hallway in my apartment. We’re being attacked on two fronts; thugs from the north and shit from the sewers. I’m going to have to demand a pay raise. Shit is not in my job description.”
After dinner Jessie, Vince, and I contacted the soldiers at the dairy farm. Their defensive positions were set up, and the drone showed no unusual activity. They would call if there was any change in status.
Vince then called MacDill. Major Connors said he was enjoying a fresh cup of coffee with some cookies Beth baked for the MacDill people. He and Private Duncan had been monitoring the satellite images just east of the city, and immediately following today’s landings of the two airplanes and helicopter, there was considerable activity. It was too soon to ascertain what exactly was happening. His scouts would know more
tomorrow.
I asked Monroe what he was thinking. “They’re getting ready to move out. The only question in my mind is in which direction.”
Jessie asked, “Can we see the satellite images from today?” Lieutenant Monroe set up his satellite lap top computer, and a minute later we were looking at the area just east of Tampa. The thugs had set up residence in an apartment complex just west of Interstate 75. There was considerable activity in the parking lot. It certainly looked like people were loading up cars and trucks.
Jessie, who was staring at the pictures, suddenly said stop. She pointed to a person in a red shirt. “Can you zoom in on that person?”
Vince Monroe zoomed in on the man in the red shirt. Jessie said, “It’s Brad Davis. I recognized the red shirt.”
She was right; it was Brad Davis, and his presence complicated things. “If he’s with the bad guys, then they know there are things for them to take right here on the campus.”
Jessie added, “I think they’ll be headed here next.” Lieutenant Monroe looked at his map of the area on his computer. “Tomorrow morning we’ll have a few more updates on their disposition. Our satellites have good infrared imagery. We’ll have updates all night long. If they make a move in our direction, I’ll alert the dairy farm. If they do come in our direction, it’ll probably be here, not the dairy farm. If they’re coming here, I’ll redeploy my resources at the dairy farm. We’ll move them down here.”
Jessie said, “Show me a map of the campus.” A minute later we were looking down at a satellite image of our area. “Brad Davis knows we’re armed. If he influences the people he’s with, they may be very cautious. Vince, if you knew we were waiting for them, how would you attack?”
Vince Monroe thought for a moment and pointed to the map. “I’d set up a diversion and then attack from the backside of the campus.” He pointed to an access road running north and south just to the east of the campus. “I’d move my main force here. I’d then walk in from the east and attack the apartment complex from the east. I’d use only a small diversionary attack at the main entrance.”
Survivors Page 16