“We were on our own before we met you, Lieutenant Holton. We had Eric, and I believe he’ll be back, but he understood that I was going to continue on without him, just as he would if something happened to me.”
“I won’t try to convince you not to, I’m just offering my opinion, based on the intel I have about the situation. You might find what you’re looking for and make it out just fine, who can say? In the meantime, you and your nephew can stay here a few more days if that’s what you want to do. If we find out anything about your husband or he shows up, of course, you’ll be the first to know.”
Shauna’s mind was racing as she followed the soldier that led her back to her quarters. This was exactly what she’d feared when Eric told her he’d agreed to participate in some kind of secret ‘mission’ for Lieutenant Holton. She knew military resources were limited from what Eric had told her and from what she’d already seen from Florida to Louisiana and all the way to here. Whatever they’d sent him to do, they’d failed to provide proper support and Eric had paid the price. There was no use getting bent out of shape about it in front of the lieutenant though because it had been Eric’s choice to go and he was experienced enough to know what he was getting himself into. She wasn’t going to dwell on that now. All she could do was hope for the best, that he would show up soon despite missing his extraction and that they could be on their way as planned. But she knew too she had to start thinking about the possibility that she would be going west alone with Jonathan. It was no longer idle speculation; they needed to discuss it for real. She hated to drag the kid into this, but it was his choice to come along and like Eric, he didn’t seem to like taking no for an answer. The first thing she had to do was break the news about Eric to him. She didn’t have to knock on his door, because he was waiting for her outside of hers when she reached the building.
“Oh man, that’s messed up! You mean they just left him there? What a bunch of dumbasses! Eric would never leave a man behind. I know he wouldn’t! We’ve got to find him, Shauna!”
“We can’t find him. We can’t even look for him because we have no idea where to start, and Lieutenant Holton isn’t going to tell us. All he would say was that it was in the ‘region’. That could mean anything.”
“I’ll bet it’s on the river somewhere. That’s what this base here is all about, just like that small one back down there at Simmesport. That lieutenant is in charge of security on this part of the river, and he probably sent Eric to take care of some kind of problem somewhere around here.”
“Wherever it is, we’re not going to find out, and even if we knew, we probably couldn’t find Eric.”
“So, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and stare at these walls and wait? This is crazy!”
“We wait until he gets back, or until we decide he’s not coming back or they decide we have to go. Those are the only choices we have, Jonathan. I don’t like it any more than you do, and I’m really worried about Eric now, after what the lieutenant told me. I don’t want to think about it, but we already discussed this before, last night. There’s a real possibility Eric’s not coming back, Jonathan. I’ve got to face that and figure out how to go on if he doesn’t.”
“You mean ‘we’ have to figure that out.”
Shauna smiled back at him. She knew Jonathan wasn’t going to back out, and truthfully, she was glad to hear him confirm it. Even if he was still okay, she had a gut feeling that Eric wouldn’t be back in time after what Lieutenant Holton had told her, so going on without him seemed more likely than not. “The good news is that the lieutenant is apparently willing to honor his promise to Eric. He said he would see that we got a ride to Colorado, even though he strongly suggested that we go back to Louisiana instead. I said no to that, of course.”
“Did you ask him what kind of ride?”
“It won’t be a Blackhawk, that’s for sure. He said something about getting us a ride with a convoy. So, a truck, I suppose.”
“That sucks, but I guess it beats riding bikes. I’m still betting on Eric though. He’ll make it back before we have to leave. I know he will. He’s one badass dude. You know that too, Shauna.”
Shauna didn’t give up hope that Jonathan was right, but another long day of waiting brought no news. She passed some of the hours sleeping, catching up from staying awake the entire night before, but the result of that was that she was once again wired when darkness fell and so spent another night pacing the floor, worrying and thinking. Although she had portrayed total confidence to Lieutenant Holton and to Jonathan when she said nothing would stop her from going on to Colorado with or without Eric, the prospect of actually doing so was quite daunting. Until he showed up at Bart’s place in Florida, Shauna was stuck there, with no reasonable means to even begin to try and reach Megan. Eric had figured out a way, and he’d gotten them out of some tight spots because of his skills and experience. Shauna didn’t know how she would do the same without him, or what she would do even if she found Megan. Getting back to Keith’s place where Daniel and Andrew waited might be impossible. A ride with a military convoy would guarantee that she and Jonathan would reach Colorado, but the lieutenant couldn’t promise them a ride back. Shauna had been so preoccupied with what the officer was telling her about Eric’s mission that she hadn’t even asked him for any details of what this convoy was all about or what the situation was out in the western regions. She would do so next time she spoke with him, but she hoped the purpose of their next meeting would be to inform her that Eric was back or that they’d at least heard from him. But three more agonizing days passed before the lieutenant finally summoned her to that second meeting, this time inviting Jonathan to join them as well. After all that waiting with no more word, Shauna was still hoping for good news until she saw the look on Lieutenant Holton’s face.
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything new to report regarding your husband, Mrs. Branson. We have to assume by now that we won’t.”
“How can you say that? How do you know he’s not on his way back as we speak? Was he really so nearby that you can be sure that he’s had enough time to get here?”
“We can’t be sure of anything, but it’s not like we didn’t look into it further. I can’t give you any details of the operation, but I can tell you that it involved a river and boats. If your husband evaded the insurgents that were the focus of the mission, his logical return route would be along that river. We sent another boat almost to the area of operation, but the crew didn’t see any sign of him, even along the most likely evasion route.”
“Maybe that’s because Eric didn’t want them to see him,” Jonathan said. “Maybe he thought it was an enemy boat when he heard it coming. If he did, they’d never know he was there. The dude’s a SEAL, man… I mean sir! Sorry!”
Lieutenant Holton gave Jonathan a slight smile. “We know what your uncle is capable of, son. That’s why I offered him this opportunity to begin with. But despite one’s experience and training, a lot can go wrong on such operations.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t have a better backup plan in place,” Shauna said. “Eric ran into that a lot after he started doing private contracting, but I doubt he expected that here, working with the Army.”
“He understood the risks and the unofficial nature of the operation, Mrs. Branson. As you are well aware, U.S. military resources are stretched beyond the limit both abroad and at home. What’s happening here is completely unprecedented and unfortunately beyond our ability to contain at all times and places. I’m just telling you the facts without leading you along into false hope, ma’am. Your husband may indeed make it back here, but we have no further intel on the situation.”
“Why can’t you just bomb the shit out of the bad guys?” Jonathan asked. “What could they do against that?”
“It’s not quite that simple, son. Aside from not having any bombers readily available for me to call in, there are rules of engagement that even now must be followed. It’s even touchier here than elsewhere
because these insurgents are American citizens. It’s not like we are officially at war with them, we’re mainly trying to contain the problem and restore order. But what we’re facing is a widespread insurrection probably funded by foreign terrorist organizations and perpetrated by many different factions, some working together, others in direct opposition. It’s quite complicated to sort it all out and deal with it. The best I can do is carry out my orders to secure my area of operation. Eric’s mission was barely within that area and the problem extends well beyond the location from which he disappeared. We were hoping he would return with good intel from the ground that we could use in the near future, but as it stands, we’re back to square one and there’s little I can do in regard to that.
“But I can do the other thing I promised, and that’s why I wanted to talk to you today. If you’re still determined to go west to Colorado, there’s an opportunity to do so if you’re willing to leave as early as the day after tomorrow.”
“The day after tomorrow? That’s sooner than I expected,” Shauna said. “I’m not sure we’re giving Eric enough time. Maybe we should wait a few more days.”
“Personally, I think it has been enough time, knowing what I know about the mission and the situation. If he wasn’t captured or killed, more than a week would be enough time for him to find a way back here.”
“Not if he’s wounded or something,” Jonathan said.
“Maybe not, but here’s the deal. There isn’t a lot of interstate transport going on right now. Most military movements are localized within small regions. I can get you out there in two or three stages, but you can’t miss the first one if you want to go. A westbound convoy will be passing not far to the north of here on Thursday, and I can get you on it, but beyond that, I can’t really help you. It may be weeks before there’s another opportunity if there’s one at all, and you simply cannot stay here that long. I’d be in trouble enough if the right people found out you were ever here at all.”
“And what about this ‘mission’ you sent my husband to do,” Lieutenant Holton? What kind of trouble would you be in if that were to get out?”
“That’s why it was unofficial, Mrs. Branson. There’s no record that it happened. Your husband understood that when he agreed to do it, and I believe you understood it too. It wouldn’t do you or anyone else any good to mention it again. Now, do you want to go to Colorado or not?”
Shauna and Jonathan spent the rest of the day discussing their options, which they now knew were few indeed. Shauna knew if she wanted to carry on with her quest to find Megan, she couldn’t afford to miss that ride, and she knew too that Eric would want her to do exactly that. She still wasn’t ready to accept that something had finally happened to him, but did it make sense to keep waiting and hoping that it didn’t? If Eric was alive and wasn’t captured, he would find his way back here at some point and the lieutenant would tell him they had gone on. It seemed to her the only reasonable thing to do.
Her reluctance to leave without him, hoping up until the last minute that he would prove the lieutenant wrong seemed to make the time pass far faster than before, and the day of their departure was upon them. Lieutenant Holton sent for her and Jonathan one last time, and once they were inside and he’d closed the door, he handed Shauna two envelopes: one containing a signed letter and other paperwork from him and the other one a large padded mailer that she found much heavier than expected when she took it from his hand.
“Show the papers to any soldiers or officers that might question you. It states that you’re the widow of one of my own officers who was killed in action, which is a slightly better explanation for this trip than the full truth. Keep the other one sealed and out of sight in your bags. You shouldn’t be searched once you’re cleared to join the first convoy, and one of my sergeants will escort you far enough to see to that. Before he left, your husband asked me to make sure you weren’t unarmed if things came to this and he didn’t make it back. He said you knew your way around a Glock 19, so that’s what I found for you. It’s well used but serviceable. You’ll find a half dozen loaded mags in there with it. I hope you don’t need them, but I’m not betting you won’t.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Holton. Having it will certainly make me feel better.”
Jonathan was about to open his mouth, but Shauna cut him off, knowing the kid was going to complain that he wasn’t getting one too. The gift of the pistol was an unexpected surprise, and Shauna knew the lieutenant didn’t have to do it and could probably get in real trouble for it, especially since serious attempts were being made to disarm civilians everywhere. While it would be nice if she and Jonathan were both armed, and with rifles yet, Shauna knew better than to push her luck. Jonathan got the message and the two of them were dismissed without further ado.
Ten
BEFORE SHAUNA AND JONATHAN left the base, Lieutenant Holton explained that their trip to Colorado would involve two or three separate legs, as there was no one convoy that could take them all the way out there in one shot. The lieutenant explained that due to the vastness of the road network in the U.S., it was impossible to secure and control the secondary or even all of the main routes. As a result, the major interstates were the primary corridors currently in use by the military and Homeland Security and keeping them open required a network of temporary posts and checkpoints at regular intervals with ongoing supply convoys operating between them to provide support. Lieutenant Holton said that she and Jonathan could make their way through this network with the paperwork he had given them, but he couldn’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be delays along the way. Even so, it would be much faster and far safer than attempting to ride that distance alone on their bicycles. He suggested they carry the bikes with them though, as they would probably need them once they were on their own again. “I’ll add the bikes and all your gear to the list in my permission request. It shouldn’t be a problem to put them on one of the trucks.”
Their journey began with a ride north from the post with a sergeant and several soldiers in two Humvees. The destination was a checkpoint near the river port at St. Louis, where the first convoy would be loading fuel to carry west on Interstate 64. Despite her impatience to get moving again, once they were actually on the road Shauna felt a sickening fear inside her; fear for what may have happened to Eric, and fear of what she and Jonathan might be facing without his expertise and experience. Under escort of these soldiers fully prepared for battle, she couldn’t ignore the reality of the dangers they faced out here, where even these heavily armed men were at risk by simply driving them to meet the convoy. She was grateful for what they were doing though and knew Lieutenant Holton was really sticking his neck out to keep his word to Eric.
She knew now that she might never learn the truth about her ex-husband’s failed mission unless Eric somehow survived to tell her himself. Whether it went wrong because of faulty planning and lack of intel or simply because of circumstances beyond his control was impossible to say, unless the lieutenant was flat out lying to her. At this point, all she could do was carry on with what she had to do regardless, but when she found Megan she would have to give her the bad news. Her father came back for her, all the way from Europe when he learned of the situation here, but now he was missing in action in what had become a war zone in the very heart of America.
It was a surreal thought, but that it really was that bad was obvious now that she was seeing the countryside from the highway for the first time since leaving Florida. The shoulders of the road were littered with abandoned vehicles, pushed out of the lanes after they ran out of fuel. Most looked like they’d been broken into, doors and trunk lids left open to the elements, the owners unlikely to ever come back to claim them. Gas stations and fast food establishments built up around once-busy intersections were empty and unlit, many of them damaged by fire and all of them broken into and cleaned out by looters. Here and there, the two Humvees passed small groups of civilian travelers, some of them walking down the highway in small groups a
nd others riding bikes as she and Jonathan would be doing if not for Eric’s sacrifice. Seeing those people out in the open like that, exposed and vulnerable in that desolate landscape, Shauna realized just how scary that must be. Even on the gravel backroads route that Eric had learned of from Keith, they would surely encounter desperate people who might do anything to survive just a few more days.
Shauna knew that after they found Megan they would still be facing the prospect of such a journey, at least if they ever wanted to get back to Louisiana, where Daniel and Andrew and Keith and Bart waited. She didn’t know what else they could do but try to get there though. But she also knew that even if they did that without Eric, it was unlikely they’d be able to carry out his plan to sail to some distant island or country these troubles couldn’t reach. All of that was too far in the future to think about now anyway though, and besides, it all depended on finding Megan first. Lieutenant Holton confirmed that there were reports of widespread rioting in Denver, just as Shauna had heard even when she was still in south Florida, before the hurricane hit. She didn’t know for sure about Boulder, but since so many of the riots started at university campuses, she feared the worst. Now that she was actually on her way there, Shauna suddenly realized how daunting the search for Megan might be. What if there was no one there at the campus at all, or even in the dorms and student apartment complexes nearby?
“You said Megan always had lots of friends,” Jonathan said, when Shauna voiced these thoughts as they sat there together on the ride. “I’ll bet she made plenty of new ones from around the area since she’s been out there so long. The locals would probably know where to go and what to do to avoid problems. I’ll bet she’s staying somewhere nearby with some friends. Maybe she’s up in the mountains in some cool little cabin.”
“I hope so, but I don’t know how we’ll ever find her if she is unless she left something at her apartment that’ll give us a clue.”
The Divide Page 9