Invasion (Best Laid Plans Book 3)

by Nathan Jones

  Pete was already up when they turned, Gutierrez quickly joining him. They were followed by Chauncey and Rick, who pushed Wes back into his seat when the young man tried to stand as well. Ed Larson stood, and Ben and an entire group of refugees rose as one, and others quickly followed.

  By the time the rustling stopped over half the audience was on their feet, expressions grim. It was obvious they were just as tired of waiting helpless for the next attack as Lewis was.

  On the stand Catherine stood and walked to the podium, where Matt politely stepped aside for her. She looked around, expression sad and worried. “It looks as if the attack will happen,” she said, quietly enough that the crowd had to lean forward to hear. “Thank you to everyone who volunteered. Be careful, and come back in one piece.”

  She returned to her seat, where her husband put an encouraging hand on her knee.

  * * * * *

  With the meeting over the people in the auditorium surged into motion in that organic way crowds had when it was time to leave. Some sought the exits, others made their way up to the stage to speak to the Mayor.

  And dozens came to crowd around Lewis and Jane to offer their support, encouragement, and enthusiasm.

  Lewis could see Jane starting to panic in the press, friendly as it was, although she did her best to appear composed. He didn't half blame her, since he'd never been fond of crowds like this either. So he subtly moved in front of her and did his best to extricate them from the clump of people as he answered questions and offered his appreciation for the support.

  To his immense relief one of the hands clapping down on his shoulder turned out to be Matt, cheerfully informing the crowd that with the decision made they needed to discuss details. The crowd grumbled good-naturedly as they parted to let Matt lead him and Jane off to one side, where Sam waited.

  Sam wasn't one of the ones celebrating, Lewis saw, which he understood under the circumstances. But even so she gave him a hug when they arrived, then moved to stand beside Jane while reaching out to hold Matt's hand hand. She might not've liked the idea of watching her husband go into danger, but she was willing to see the need.

  Matt stepped a bit closer to put his arm around his wife and hold her close. “Well that's that,” he said. “Guess now all that's left is to plan this thing to death and make sure we account for anything that can go wrong.”

  Lewis nodded, somewhat dazed. “I almost had a heart attack when you asked for volunteers. It's a good thing you were on board or you would've been able to hear a pin drop in the room, and the crowd would've looked like they'd been turned into statues.”

  Their friend laughed. “You think they volunteered because of me? You're the one who took down Ferris and destroyed one of the raider trucks. They've got every confidence that nothing will go wrong if you're involved.”

  He made a face. “Great, that's just the sort of pressure I love having on me.” He shook his head. “But I wouldn't sell yourself short. You're their leader. If you hadn't been on board nobody else would've been either.”

  “He's right,” Sam said, gently slapping Matt's chest. “Part of being a leader is recognizing that people look up to you.”

  Matt grimaced. “Nobody else would've been on board if not for Catherine, either. She was willing to step away from the decision even though she was against it. I'm going to go talk to her, make sure how this meeting went sits right with her in spite of her opinion.”

  He clapped Lewis on the shoulder and nodded to Jane. “Although I meant what I said about us going over the details of this attack, which I suppose will take place tomorrow morning since nobody had a compelling reason to postpone it.” He gave them a stern look. “That means you two are off patrol tonight. I'll want you scouting close to dawn, but until then you should get what rest you can and think about how you're going to attack the southern camp without being driven down when it's time to bolt to safety.”

  As Matt and Sam walked away Jane turned to give Lewis a lopsided smile. “I guess that makes today and tonight our honeymoon.”

  Lewis hadn't even considered that, and had to fight down a sudden surge of mingled excitement and panic at how quickly it was all happening. “It looks like we'll be spending most of it sleeping or crawling around in the dark. But if the attack goes well we might deal with the raider problem tomorrow morning and get ourselves plenty of time to have a proper one afterwards.”

  His fiancee came to lean against him. “Until then we'll enjoy the honeymoon we have. There should be time for something besides sleeping and getting ready for the attack.”

  “I hope so,” he murmured, putting an arm around her. Together they waited quietly for an opening to approach the Mayor.

  Once the crowd of people waiting to talk to Catherine had thinned a bit Jane nudged him impatiently, and they made their way over.

  At their approach the older woman immediately excused herself and stepped over to meet them, looking a bit exasperated. “Don't tell me you've got something else to pester me about. A raid to steal Turner's missile launchers, maybe?”

  Lewis felt his face flush in embarrassment and looked back at Jane. The redheaded woman simply stared back impassively. “Um, this is about something else.” he said. “Could we talk to you in private?”

  The Mayor's expression softened into a more friendly and curious expression, and she immediately led the way out of the auditorium. From there they went through the connecting hallway to town hall proper, stopping at the foot of the stairs that led up to her office. “This should be private enough. What did you need?”

  He took a deep breath. He didn't have any doubts about his feelings, just how quickly things were moving now. Not that he necessarily had a problem with that, but he'd spent most of his life carefully considering risks and the consequences of his actions.

  Of course they were about to go attack the raider camps, so there was a chance they'd never have an opportunity to be together if they didn't take the plunge now. The thought of how close they'd come a few nights ago still sent trickles of horror down his spine, especially when he remembered those first few moments after Jane got shot and he was sure she was dying.

  In any case he trusted Jane with his life, as he had so many times, and he trusted their feelings for each other. There really was no time like the present.

  He must've hesitated for a bit too long, because Jane abruptly spoke up for both of them. “You performed the wedding ceremony for Matt and Sam in your capacity as Mayor. We were wondering if you'd officiate for us, too.”

  The older woman looked between them, eyes widening in shock. “Well of everything you could've needed me for, I wasn't expecting that,” she exclaimed. “I had no idea you two felt that way.” A warm smile spread over her face and she wrapped them both in a hug. “Of course I will. I'd be delighted to. Have you two settled on a date?”

  As the Mayor stepped back Lewis glanced over at Jane for confirmation, but after the unexpected hug she was looking off to one side at nothing the way she sometimes did when she was uncomfortable. “Um, yeah. Is right now a good time?”

  Catherine's smile slipped, and she gave them both a worried look. “Isn't that a bit sudden? If this is some rash decision based on being about to go into danger or something like that . . .”

  Jane's head snapped around to look back at the Mayor, expression stubborn. “Rash would be doing something we hadn't carefully thought out that didn't make sense. We've both been thinking this over longer than either of us realized.”

  The older woman gave them both a final helpless look, then seemed to give up. “All right then. The meeting hasn't been over for too long so we can probably get everyone back together for the ceremony.”

  “Actually we'd prefer to stay out of the spotlight,” Lewis said hastily. “Could we just do the ceremony now and get it done?”

  Catherine rubbed at her eyebrows. “You two,” she said, sounding half exasperated, half fond, “are peas in a pod. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.” With a sigh s
he nodded and pointed towards her office. “Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable while I dig up my notes from Matt and Sam's wedding and find a witness or two.”

  As the Mayor bustled off Lewis gave his wife-to-be an awkward look. “Well I guess that's that. Should we go over the attack while we wait?”

  The redheaded woman shrugged. “Seems like a good idea. Although since it's right before our wedding we could also spend a bit of time practicing our kiss for the ceremony.”

  He was a bit surprised to hear Jane suggest something like making out in the Mayor's office, although he had a feeling she seriously meant it to be practice. Either way he was fully on board. “I like that idea more,” he said with a grin.

  Jane smiled back, but hesitated in the hallway looking a bit nervous as he started up the stairs. “Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly.

  Lewis paused and turned back. “Absolutely. Practice makes perfect.”

  “I mean the wedding. You know how I am.” She looked a bit frustrated. “I can't-I mean, I don't do well around people. I'm not good at the sort of things people do when they're around each other. Are you sure you're okay with that?”

  “And you're just telling me this now?” he teased. His fiancee looked even more frustrated and he wondered if she'd picked up on the banter. He took her hand. “We've been doing things together for over a month, Jane. Patrols, hunting, or just enjoying each other's company. I don't like you in spite of your personality, I like you because of it.”

  She looked relieved, but he could tell she was still a bit concerned when she started rubbing his sleeve with her free hand. In the past he'd noticed that she sometimes focused on the sensation of what she was touching to calm herself down when she was agitated, usually in social situations. “I feel the same. Just promise me that if it ever does get to be too much and I need some time to myself . . .”

  “We're getting married, not joined at the hip,” he reassured her. “We'll still be the same people, and both of us are used to being alone. It will take some adjustments, things usually do, but figuring things out is half the fun.”

  Jane nodded and reclaimed her hand. “And you know if you need any space you can just ask.” He nodded and she finally started forward past him. “Okay, let's go practice. I can show you how Matt and Sam kissed at their wedding.”

  Lewis winced slightly. “Maybe we can figure out our own way.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hitting Back

  That evening a little after nightfall Matt waited with the rest of the volunteers at the storehouse to discuss the morning's attack. Only Lewis and Jane had yet to arrive, but so far they were only a few minutes late. Considering their badly interrupted sleep thanks to the meeting Matt was willing to excuse that.

  In the end it had been decided that Matt would lead a group of twelve people, selecting Pete Childress, Tam Raymond, Chauncey Watson, Rick Watson, Tom Harding, Abel Metford, Jack Barnes, Ben Thompson, Carl Hopewell, Vicky Sanders, Red Yates, and Raul Gutierrez from among the volunteers. The group was a fairly balanced representation of original townspeople and the refugees, as well as Gutierrez.

  Each volunteer was fierce in their determination to defend the town and ready to risk their lives. They were some of the best people Matt knew.

  He and Lewis had already spoken with just about everyone there about the attack in the last few days, so the details were fairly well known. The important thing was the fact that the attack would be completely uncoordinated since they couldn't trust the radios. They'd have to rely entirely on timing, making sure everyone did their part when they were supposed to. Just as important would be to keep their eyes open for signs that something had gone wrong and they needed to call off the attack.

  They'd gone over the broad strokes and the group was discussing the finer details, in lieu of getting whatever sleep they could before it was time to leave, when Lewis and Jane finally showed up. The pair looked flushed and tussled, but whatever rush they'd had waking up and getting to the meetup on time hadn't prevented them from properly gearing up. The day's rest seemed to have done them well, too, considering their relaxed expressions.

  Matt hurried over to them. “Ready to move out?” he asked Lewis.

  His friend nodded. They'd agreed that Lewis would take the night vision scope and scout out the southern camp, taking great care not to be seen by the raiders encircling the town, while Gutierrez took the goggles and did the same for the northern camp. With any luck the round trip moving stealthily in the dark wouldn't take the two all night, and they'd return with whatever they found in plenty of time for everyone to get in position to be ready for the morning's attack.

  Gutierrez joined them, and they spent a few moments making sure their gear was all in good working order, especially the night vision, and the radios they were bringing with them were fully charged but turned off unless they were needed for a true emergency.

  Not that either man could expect much help from the town if things went bad out there. They'd be on foot in enemy territory, and even if Aspen Hill could send out a rescue party they'd have to worry about that group being caught in the open by the raider trucks.

  They shook hands all around, and then Lewis went off into a corner for a huddled conversation with Jane. As Matt watched his two friends in their surprisingly intimate farewells he couldn't help but think again that the two would be perfect for each other if either one was the slightest bit romantically inclined.

  Oh well. Plenty of time to play matchmaker after they drove the raiders off.

  Once the two scouts had set out the rest of the group settled down to rest. Jane took a cot off on her own and zonked out as if she hadn't just woken up from a good day's sleep, while the others tossed and turned a bit in tense silence trying to calm their unsettled nerves.

  They were going into a dangerous situation against enemies with very scary weapons and all of them knew it. Thanks to their temperament or simple exhaustion a few could sleep in spite of that, like Jane, but most of the volunteers took a while to drift off. He heard more than one prayer whispered in the darkness.

  Matt had the first shift while everyone else slept. He wasn't keeping guard, he was there ready to receive any news in case something urgent changed with the situation and they had to act on it, or worse yet call off the attack entirely.

  He spent the time thinking glumly of the tearful goodbyes he'd shared with a distraught Sam as he urged her to try to get to sleep before he left, if not for her sake than for the baby's. He wished he could be with her now, but most of all he hoped he'd still be around to come home after the attack and personally dispel all her fears for him.

  And, he had to admit, he also spent the time cursing Turner and his men for the suffering they'd caused to innocent people, and for forcing good people to risk their lives to stop them.

  After two hours he woke Pete to take over and sought out a free cot to slump into. He'd been afraid that nerves would keep him up, but as soon as he pulled the blanket up around him he quickly drifted off to sleep.

  Three hours before dawn Lewis and Gutierrez returned. Matt woke everyone up to hear their report, confirming that the camps were still in the same place and, while guarded, the raiders didn't seem particularly vigilant. The same could be said for the would-be snipers who'd encircled the town, one of whom Gutierrez had passed by close enough that he could've taken the drowsing man out with his knife if he'd wanted to. That would've potentially alerted the raiders to the upcoming attack, though, so he left the raider and marked his position to be avoided when leading Matt's group back to the camp.

  Once the reports were given everyone quietly gathered their gear and got ready to move out. Matt could hear a few sets of teeth chattering, either from adrenaline, fear, or maybe just the slight chill in the air. He kept his own jaw clenched as he checked his AR-15 and Glock, as well as the spare magazines for both he was bringing with him.

  Then he hugged Lewis and wished him and Jane good luck, watching as they tur
ned south. They vanished quickly into the darkness, and once they were gone Matt gathered his dozen volunteers and quickly went over the plan one last time just to be safe, using the new information Gutierrez had given them on the terrain around the camp.

  Finally there was nothing left to do but motion for Gutierrez to lead the way. The former soldier started north at a trot, and Matt and the others fell in behind him.

  * * * * *

  Thanks to Lewis's careful guidance the new Mr. and Mrs. Halsson had no trouble getting around the cordon of snipers surrounding the town. They made good time to the southern camp in spite of the fact that they moved cautiously, with Lewis in the lead using the scope to follow the same path he'd planned out while scouting.

  For once neither of them were at a disadvantage in the dark, because instead of having to share a piece of the town's limited night vision gear Jane had been given the goggles. Matt figured that since the two had the more dangerous task and were going to be dealing with poorer lighting in their predawn attack they should both have every advantage. That left Gutierrez to lead Matt's group blind, but since he already had the route planned they trusted that he'd be up to it.

  Once Lewis had led them closer to the camp they slowed down even more, at times going so far as to drop flat and army crawl their way forward to the next source of cover. Lewis scarcely dared to breathe in spite of the exertion, and he spent each moment expecting a shout or, even worse, a shot to ring out above the night noises.

  The camp's sentries had night vision goggles and good scopes on their M1As. That would've been a challenge if they were alert, but after a week and a half without any sort of counterattack from the town they had to feel like wolves among sheep.

  And sheep didn't attack the wolf den.

  Unfortunately for them the residents of Aspen Hill weren't sheep, even if they had sort of been acting like them. To the sentries' credit at least they weren't asleep, but they weren't making more than a halfhearted effort to watch their surroundings. The bigger error was that they were patrolling right inside camp, instead of farther out where they'd have a better view of any approaching threats and more time to either take those threats out or raise the alarm.