by Paul Kirk
CHAPTER 10.16-Major McLoy
“Stop right there!”
Keenan McLoy and his men snapped to a stop atop their horses. Guns ready, they faced the voice behind the tree on the side of the road in front of them. Near the Masontown Heliport, traveling the two-lane blacktop, they had been discussing settling down for dinner. The six-hour trip of high vigilance scouting had proved disappointing. But, seeing the five fierce men surrounding them in a semi-circle behind them laid to rest any thoughts of an uneventful evening.
“Shit!”
“State your purpose!” yelled the deep voice behind the tree.
Keenan McLoy nodded to his men to hang tight, not do anything stupid. He decided to answer, if for nothing more than to better gauge the enemy’s strength, position and intent.
“Reconnaissance. We’re here to check things out. But, okay, we can leave the way we came—no problems.”
“Explain your reconnaissance.”
“A report says a helicopter landed somewhere near here. Made sense it was over at the heliport seeking usable fuel.”
“Lower your weapons,” said the deep voice from behind the tree.
Keenan McLoy quipped a small laugh, studying the five men pointing weapons at him and his men. He knew they were in no position to adequately defend themselves, but decided, with some luck, they might pop off a shot or two before dying.
“Not likely—to you hiding behind that tree.”
“We got you covered.”
“Yeah, you sure do. But, we’ll still get our licks in.”
“What's your name?”
Keenan McLoy shifted in his mount, perplexed at the question. It was strange to be asked his name by the man who was planning to kill him. Recklessly, he decided he and his men would not go down easily. He would demand information.
“What is your name? You always hide behind trees?”
“I’m Major Mike O’Malley, contingent of the United States Army.”
Stunned, Keenan smiled at the implications. “Outstanding! That might mean we don't have a problem, major. I’m Major Keenan T. McLoy of General Harmon’s army.”
Horses stirred. Keenan waited for an answer. A new voice filled the air but with no less command.
“Major McLoy, do you think we can conduct a civil meeting or should we continue pointing guns at each other?”
Surprised at hearing a strong female voice, Major McLoy was caught off guard. The words came from behind the same tree that’d first alerted him and his team to their predicament. Right as he was thinking this turn of events interesting, a beautiful woman stepped out from behind the tree in fatigues. She stood with her sidearm pointed to the ground.
“Ma’am!” said an insistent voice behind the tree.
The woman glanced at the man behind the tree, smiling and confident. A large man burst in front of her, shielding her, though he too, kept his weapon pointed downward.
“Major O'Malley, these guys are on a hunt to find our helicopter, they aren’t going to shoot me unless you shoot first, isn’t that right, Major Keenan T. McLoy?”
“Ma’am!” yelled Major O’Malley, insistent.
“At ease, major. Let’s cut to the chase here. Major McLoy, please have your men safe their weapons. I’ll have my men do the same.”
“And you are?” asked Keenan McLoy, interested.
“I’m Colonel Hannah Starkes. And, I’m President of the United States.”
At the disclosure, Keenan froze. Slowly, he eased off his horse and stood, keeping his weapon pointed well away from the colonel. And, with care, he switched his safety on, flicking his left hand into a fist with a fast signal for his men to do the same. Stunned, he stared at the bold woman less than twenty feet away.
“Is this for real, colonel? Um, Madam President?”
“For real, major.”
Keenan smiled toward his men. His hand signals a clear effort to calm his men, each glancing around in disbelief. “Wow, didn’t expect that today when I woke up.”
The colonel smiled. “Yeah, the day’s been full of surprises.”
“I'd say so.”
Keenan's men began whispering to each other trying to figure out what was happening. Prodding the discussion along to keep her and her men safe, Colonel Starkes pointed and smiled once more. “Bring your men along with us, major. We can talk about what’s going on. Can I trust that you have full control of your men?”
Keenan McLoy turned toward his men and their expressions of inquisitive disbelief were priceless. He examined the cold countenances of the team surrounding his men. He knew he had little choice. His team was out of their league. Clearly, these men had the ability to have taken them down without the gracious warning. And, the brazen behavior of the beautiful woman lent some credence to her statements.
“My men can be trusted to follow my orders, Madam President.”
Shockingly, the President of the Untied States simply strolled up to his position, raising her hand in greeting. The huge man with red hair and weapon drawn stayed by her side, obviously angry. Major McLoy did his best to ignore the man beside her for the moment.
“A pleasure to meet you, major.”
Men staring all around him, Keenan McLoy grasped her small hand and shook. "Umm, yes, ma’am.”
“I’m sure you have questions.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“We have questions as well. Please join us for some food and discussion.”
“Okay. Sure. Sounds good. Yeah, sounds real good.”
“This way.”
“’Kay. Men form up.”
“Can they walk their horses for me, major? Those on horseback place my men at a tactical disadvantage.”
“I see. Yeah, sure.” Keenan waved for his men to dismount. Slowly, they all did so and waited.
Colonel Starkes smiled and nodded. “This is all of you, correct? Except for the radio stringers back to base?”
“Stringers? Oh, yeah, this is all. Can I call this in, Madam President?”
“Let’s shift to more informal terms, can we? You’re not yet in my chain of command. Please call me Hannah. Can I call you Keenan?
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Okay. Good. And, Keenan, you can call it in to your commander once we talk a bit, if that’s okay.”
“Umm, okay.”
“Come this way. Keep in mind we have an experienced sniper on cover.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Not to worry, Keenan. I'm only letting you know.”
“Much appreciated, um, Hannah.”
They walked the hundred yards to the heliport with the five-man team running a beautiful protective bubble around the president and her new charges. The broad-shouldered major had a stern tilt to his jaw and remained tight to the president's side. He exuded a repressed fury, presumably at the risks she had taken over the past few minutes. Walking beside the major and the president, Keenan overheard a few frustrated, but insistent, comments in this regard.
Keenan evaluated where they were going. He could see the Masontown Heliport in greater detail as they approached. He was quite impressed by the efficient way the president’s team moved as a finely-tuned unit. He was captivated by the firepower and protective gear each man had. Arriving near the gate, the entire party stopped at the command of Major O'Malley.
“Coming in, alpha tower one, do you copy?” said Major O’Malley.
“We copy. We have you coming in. Over.”
“We're bringing in eight men. Their weapons are safed and neutral, but not confiscated. Understood? Over.”
“Weapons safe and neutral but in play. Copy that.”
“Bravo team, bringing in friendlies, weapons safe and neutral, but not confiscated. Do you copy?”
“Copy that.”
Major O'Malley turned to the colonel. “We’re good to go, ma’am.”
“Thanks, major.”
“Keenan, c’mon. Make sure your men know to keep weapons outta their hands for the next few minutes. Thi
ngs can get kinda dicey comin’ in on my men.”
“Sure.” Keenan nodded to each of his men, making it clear to keep their weapons stowed as they walked across the tarmac; all newcomers stared at the beautiful helicopter, rotors spinning down.
“Wow,” said Keenan, “is that...Marine One?”
Walking closest to Keenan, Major O’Malley sought calm, trying to figure out the new man. Studying Keenan, he sensed a confidence beneath a bubbling youthful exuberance. The younger man was powerfully strong in his legs, shoulders and arms, but this was easily overlooked due to his handsome face and bright gray eyes. Thinking the young man carried himself well as a natural leader given the circumstance, Major O’Malley decided to answer, somewhat mollified.
“Sorta. The designations correct ‘cause it’s carrying POTUS. But that’s an H-92 Superhawk, a badass bird if there ever was one.”
“Wow. So this is most definitely for real, huh, major?”
“As real as it gets, major.”
“Call me Keenan, please.”
“Alright. I’ll consider you the real deal for now, Keenan. Don’t fuck with us, I mean it. I’m Major Mike O’Malley. Call me Mike.”
They shook hands, Major O’Malley feeling the last vestiges of his anger at the colonel's risky action begin to fade. He nodded to several of his men nearby, who lessened their intense scrutiny of the newcomers. Coming up on the small hanger near the Superhawk, they saw two women, one holding a small child, emerge from the helicopter bay. The spinning rotors slowed, a sign that an imminent takeoff was no longer a priority. Glancing left inside the heliport area, Keenan saw two men, well-seasoned veterans by the looks of them, stepping toward them from the hangar doors. Colonel Starkes and her team stopped, waiting for GT and Scott, Nicole, and Amanda to make their way toward them. Nicole spoke first.
“Well, hello new guys!”
Her energy, innocence at seeing the new men washed a surreal sense of strangeness into the mix. But, it also seemed to immediately lessen the tension of his men and the president's men surrounding them. Keenan noticed the impact, making a mental note to find out more about this fine-looking woman.
“What we got, ma’am?” asked Scott.
Colonel Starkes turned, smiling at the men behind her. She turned back to him and nodded. “We’re good here, Scott.”
Scott and GT glanced at Major O’Malley who gave them a raised eyebrow and shrug.
“Okay, ma’am,” said Scott.
Colonel Starkes turned to her new acquaintances. “We'll make more formal introductions later. You guys hungry? We can prepare some decent food.”
“Um, yes, ma’am. That might be nice.”
“Good. C’mon, Keenan. Major, secure the area and join us.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The retinue entered the hangar and entered the main office. Keenan and his men tried their best not to stare too hard at the three beautiful women walking in front of them. They knew one was apparently the President of the United States and the two others were simply striking in their beauty and charisma. One had her raven-black hair shaved on one side with a bandage showing, but this did little to detract from her beauty. Knowing his men, Keenan gave a few, one in particular, a stern look that spoke of them receiving incredible pain if anything stupid was said. He gave Lieutenant Wahlberg an especially long stare. Colonel Starkes smiled after catching his efforts to control his men. She moved toward Keenan and stood. Turning, she sought out Ren.
“Break out the good stuff, lieutenant.”
Ren nodded and scrambled over to the helicopter. He spoke quickly with Shamus who stood guard with Daniels, protecting he bird. “We’re feeding these guests, Shamus.”
“So I see, Ren. Would you be so kind as to update Tim in the tower? It's possible our guys over there forget to include him.”
“Sure, I guess he’s probably wondering.”
“Could be.”
“Okay.”
“Tell GT or Scotty to give me a sit-rep on your way in, would ya?”
“Sure, Shamus.”
“Thank you, son.”
Ren grabbed a large, green container from the helicopter bay, hauling it back to the hangar. Struggling with the weight, he made it back as the people inside the building started to settle in. He sat the box on the desk.
“Here you go, ma’am.”
Colonel Starkes broke from talking to Keenan and the major, walking to his side. “Thanks, Ren.” Opening the lid, the colonel dug deep to the bottom. “Tell me it’s in here somewhere, dammit!” she mumbled.
Shifting items around, she pulled out a bottle of Grey Goose vodka. The new men tracked every movement, waiting to see what else would be added to an already very interesting day.
“Here it is," she said, "Keenan, I’d like to offer you and your men a bit of a toast to a good conversation. Major? Can we find some cups?”
The Grey Goose in her hands was held up for all to see.
“Hold on, ma’am,” said Nicole. She ran to the other office after pushing off CJ to Amanda. Unable to resist, all men watched her move, anticipating her return. In short order, she came back with a clumped batch of Dixie cups from the old water cooler. Gently flirting with each, she handed cups all around before returning to Amanda and regaining her son.
“Thank you, Nicole,” said the colonel.
“I’ll do it, ma’am.”
“No, major, I’ll do it,” said the colonel, “Relax, I do know what I’m doing here, Mike.”
The major relaxed some. Still, his dissatisfaction with her recent reckless behavior prevailed. He leaned close to her ear. “Sorry, ma’am. But you can’t keep doing that kinda shit—”
“No, you’re right. I know." Seeing the irritation and concern on his face, Hannah lowered her voice to a whisper. You’ve been great, truly. Sorry to drop that on you out there, major. But, it felt right, you know? I owe you one. In the meantime, try to chill and keep your eyes and ears open.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
CHAPTER 10.17-Tripwires
“Hope those tripwires actually work.”
“They will, Surf Boy,” said BB. He slipped up next to Marty who was lying prone near a tractor. They focused on Perryopolis and studied Phoenix's army with binoculars. “That’s one huge army forming up on our ass out there, Mac.”
Connor smiled. “I know, BB. But remember, they’re still only amateurs playing in our sandbox.”
“Phoenix has some smarts, colonel,” said Captain Daubney. Lying next to Connor, they both were tucked in low behind the wheels of a hay bailer.
“Oh, I know captain," said Connor, "never said he didn’t. But, it’s pretty hard to control that many men effectively without years of true combat leadership experience. I'm talkin' years. Keeping them under wraps through a few minor skirmishes like that Erie excursion you told me about is nothing like this. Right now, they've met up with the best."
“Hoorah,” said Marty.
“Fuckin’ hoorah,” said Mickey, obviously listening in a few yards away to their left and hidden in a small depression. He stared at the massed army converging at the northern gates, “Wish I had me a fifty cal—”
“Why, so you can try to hit somethin’ worthwhile every third shot?” interrupted Marty, smiling.
Connor laughed. Captain Daubney joined in and BB grinned.
Mickey glared before grinning. “I’d show you a few things, sniper.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m sure. Like a ‘swing and a miss’ and then another the first two rounds.”
“Yeah, we’d see.”
Marty smiled before both he and Mickey refocused on glassing the northern gates.
Connor refocused toward the town. “We need to leave this wheat field soon, guys. The town people are buttoned up in the cave and good to go. We can’t stay much longer. I don't think we can watch the fireworks, not that I wouldn’t like to myself.”
“I’d love to see that army break rank and enter the bar, Mac. Like you say. At least let’s wat
ch that first explosion.”
“John, we should get movin’.” Connor was torn. He was just as interested in seeing the results of their explosive traps.
“Let’s watch some shit blow up, Mac,” suggested Jude. He and the remainder of the unit were all hidden amongst the hay bales fifteen feet behind them.
Jackson agreed along with Jason. Well hidden, the entire unit waited outside the southern gate beyond the last wheat field yet to be fully harvested. A few hundred yards from town, their elevation and view from the southwestern edge gave them an easy view of both gates and most of the buildings closest to the southern entrance. It also gave them a decent escape route away from the city and towards Uniontown once they decided to move.
"Here they come," said Jackson. He gestured toward the massive army.
Phoenix’s army was an impressive sight. Men, horses and white trucks jostled about for position as the army stormed through the northern gates, which they’d taken only moments ago. A few scattered quads and bikes contributed to the mix.
“Not sure we should risk it, men. We need to go.”
“From a purely psychological perspective, I’d love to see if your assessment of human nature will prevail, Mac,” said John McLeod.
“Oh, it will. They’ll walk right into that bar.”
Cody and Renaldo, along with Gabriella and Rhonda were off to the side listening to last minute instructions from Roger. It was obvious Cody wanted nothing more than to use his binoculars to scope the gates and the army bearing down.
“Okay, there they go," said Connor, "Well, I guess we might as well watch the first round of our little creation. It is definitely a bit of a risk.”
“Yes!” said Jude.
“Be ready to move when I say. Everybody got that?”
Excitement at watching the pending fireworks captured the attention of all, but each nodded.
“Jason, you’re in charge of the horses, understood? I want them out of that hay storage shelter ASAP!”
“Yes, sir.”
Renaldo and Cody took the initiative to slip closer to Connor and the rest of the team for a better view. Gabriella tagged along, not sure what was happening, but especially pleased to be eating the gumball Rhonda had provided. Smiling, she harbored hopes that Rhonda could maybe be her new mom before a sadness enveloped her. Images of her mother dying of infection swirled in front of her eyes. And at that moment, Rhonda slid beside her, wrapping an arm across her slim shoulders.