by Johnny Jacks
Chapter 37
A Change of Plans
Year 8
Grayson was pondering the reason for Ramirez’s request to visit ahead of the meetup when the no-nonsense man went straight to the point. “We have a special favor to ask, son.”
“Something wrong, sir?”
“No. Everything’s fine.” He started to say something, but deferred to Grace. “Mama, you take him on. Any man’s a sucker for a sweet-talking, pretty woman.”
Grace reached over from her chair beside Grayson and placed a hand on his arm. “After all these years, Papa has finally agreed to retire. We’re going to move to a quiet place, maybe travel and enjoy life while we’re still active.”
Grace’s soft voice and easy cadence had a calming effect on Grayson. “So, you want my help finding a retirement location?”
“We want to buy an acre or two from the MAG, somewhere away from BOL operations, to build a cabin.”
“Buy my ass! Oh. Sorry Miss Grace.”
Ramirez chuckled. “Believe me; she’s heard a lot worse than that from this old boy.”
Grace smiled lovingly at Papa and rolled her eyes in agreement.
“There’s no way you’ll pay for any of this land.” Grayson said. “Remember, I own the house and ten acres outright.” Abruptly, he became solemn, pensive, his mouth half opened. “No!”
“No?”
Grace became panicky. “You change your mind?”
Grayson didn’t hear them. He remained in deep contemplation. Ramirez and Grace stared at him until the atmosphere became uncomfortable.
“What’s going on in that thick head of yours, son?” Ramirez, sounded more than a little peeved.
Grayson suddenly became as excited as a boy with a new bicycle for Christmas. “I have a better proposal and you’re gonna love it.”
The pressure off, Ramirez expelled another of his famous belly laughs. “Son, I can see mischief and some wild, grand escapade written across your grinning face. I can’t wait to hear this.”
“I’m moving back to Houston. Instead of you having to construct another house, I’m offering you the farmhouse with the ten acres. You can have it for a dollar, just to keep it legal. All I want is my man cave set aside, where I can have a bed and leave my gear.”
Ramirez and Grace were speechless.
“You’ll also have to take Millie. She wouldn’t adapt to city life very well.”
“Other than Papa, you are the most unusual person I’ve ever met.”
“Mama, this boy is a Green Beret. His soul yearns for the next battle, and he doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on material things. He can’t help himself; it’s in his blood.”
Grace chuckled. “You have that same yearning, Papa, but you’re ancient and can’t do anything about it.”
“The missus is a good woman and doesn’t mince her words, a comfort in my old age.”
“When are you submitting your papers, Chief?”
“I still have another year, but we thought we’d need the time to build a cabin. We’ll stick to the schedule. That’ll give you time to find a new place.”
Grace looked perplexed. “It’s personal, but I’m curious to know why you want to move back to Houston.”
“Yes, ma’am, it is personal. I’ve gotta remove a burr that’s been under my saddle for too long.”
Ramirez eyed him carefully. “Any burr under a young man’s saddle likely involves a woman. Be careful removing that burr; it could leave permanent scars.”
“I’ll heed your advice, sir.”
Grace tilted her head down and looked at him over the top of her glasses. She spoke as a mother scolding a child. “Papa and I have been around long enough to know when young folks are doing things against better judgement.”
“I respect your concern, Miss Grace, and know that what I’m about to do, logically speaking, isn’t necessarily the best thing for me, or Laura for that matter. But, if I don’t take care of it now and get it out of the way it’ll haunt me the rest of my life and destroy my prospects for a peaceful soul.”
Ramirez studied him closely. “You aren’t going after Murtadha by yourself, are you? You do know that he disappeared years ago and we have no idea where he is.”
“I’d like to get my hands on him, Chief, but this is different; it’s personal. Since you brought it up, if you find Murtadha, I want first crack at him.”
Grace panicked. “That could be dangerous. We’ve already lost one son.”
Ramirez patted her hand. “He’s made up his mind, Mama. Let’s leave the boy alone and pray for him. Grayson, we’ll gladly take you up on your generous offer and would love to have Millie stay with us.”
Grayson looked at Ramirez then dropped his gaze to the floor. “I could use an update on anything new going on in Houston.”
“Anything in particular?”
“Is that ACLU lawyer still giving you problems?”
Grayson’s attempt to sound casual fell flat. He detected the slightest change in the chief’s left eyebrow. Nobody could fool the old man. He knew Grayson was fishing for something, but went along to see what he had up his sleeve.
“Ms. Fisher? She’s always a pain, a little nutty if you ask me, had some sort of coming out thing she did in the courtroom some years ago.”
“That’s one butt-ugly woman. I think she was getting a divorce about the time I left Houston.”
Ramirez gave him the, I’m-on-to-you look. “Haven’t heard. She used a disguise to hide a beautiful face and pretty figure. She’s quite attractive.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. If she’s pretty, she must have changed a whole lot.” He sat silently, hoping Ramirez would give him more information.
Laura’s right. I must have closure, and I can’t get it anywhere else. Please, God, forgive me.
Ramirez looked at Grayson over the top of his glasses. “Son, you know you can always come to me if you have anything you need to discuss…man-to-man.”
“I see Joe and the gang pulling in for the meetup,” Miss Grace said, looking out the window.
Glad to have her yank his grits out of the fire, Grayson jumped to his feet. “Let’s make our way over to the lodge.”
Ramirez winked at Grace and they followed.
Chapter 38
The Intel Report
Year 8
Ramirez opened the meetup with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.
“We’re skipping the normal order of business. Joe has a contact in the FBI who has access to Top Secret information on Middle Eastern intelligence matters. His contact provided some disturbing Intel on Murtadha. After Joe’s briefing, Grayson will review the pros and cons of joining the SET Patriots.”
Every eye fell on Samuel and a few members released low groans.
Ramirez waited until attention resettled on him. “It’s time to act. Today, we’ll take the final vote and either we’re in or we’re out. Regardless of how the vote falls, this is it.” He gave Joe the nod.
Joe stood, opened a folder, took out several large photos, and handed them to Mark to pass around.
“I have to warn you some of these are grizzly. They show dead bodies with their heads cut off. The ones with the sheep, donkeys, and men wearing dresses were taken in Egypt at a jihadi training camp. The ones with the dead bodies were taken in Africa.”
Mark’s mouth dropped open. “Something’s not right about this. Joe, these men aren’t Middle Eastern.”
“Good call. They’re Mexican Muslims. The tall one in the middle is Murtadha. After he escaped the…uh…accident, he went back to Mexico and disappeared down a black hole. That black hole was Egypt. According to my FBI contact, after their training he went somewhere deep into Africa with his brother and the other Mexicans to conduct holy war with ISIS.”
“The psychiatrist’s report at the prison—what little we could access—revealed that a Muslim inmate, Akeem Talal, converted Murtadha, his brother, and some of his gang members to Islam.”
“Reverted,” Grayson said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
“Muslims believe that everyone is born Muslim but are fooled into believing in something else. When infidels become Muslim, to them, they are reverting to Islam, not converting. They also believe that Allah gave them everything on earth. That’s why they have no qualms about stealing or taking welfare fraudulently from the infidels; it’s already theirs as far as they’re concerned. Infidel women are free game. To Muslim men, raping them is not immoral, but the will of Allah.”
Everyone stared at him with blank faces.
Grayson shrugged. “Sorry for the interruption, Joe.”
“Actually, that’s good to know. It tells a lot about why Muslim refugees in Western countries act the way they do. It also gives us something to think about if we run into them after the collapse. Prison records show major changes in Murtadha after he…reverted to Islam and his Muslim inmate friend taught him to speak Arabic and learn enough to consider him educated. He experienced a euphoric awakening or some such shit. The bottom line: His violent temper and deep-seated hatred of Americans will be a major problem if he and his gang return to Houston.”
Charles wasn’t convinced. “Murtadha and his gang aren’t that many. Certainly, we can handle them. Besides, why would they come here?”
Grayson rubbed the back of his neck. “If they’re in Africa with ISIS, that means they’re raping and killing, making his gang as evil and emotionless as Murtadha himself. Africa or not, my gut feeling tells me there’s something big going on. We’ll see. What else do you have, Joe?”
“Notice the man on the left side of photo number three. My contact wouldn’t explain, but told me there was something special about him, that we’ll learn why when the time is right. That’s all I have, Chief.”
Grayson didn’t want to begin his spiel immediately. “Take ten.” He walked outside the lodge to gather his thoughts.
Chapter 39
It’s Now or Never
Year 8
Grayson paced as he practiced how to open the topic of joining the SET Patriots. President Crump’s aggressive actions to stabilize the economy and shore up national security provided additional time to prepare for the coming collapse. Unfortunately, after the establishment Republicans screwed up Crump’s agenda, the Democrats regained control and began to re-establish the Obama socialist agenda.
For too long, some in the MAG had given their approval and others only tentative thumbs-up to merging with the SET Patriots. Stubborn Samuel was the biggest holdout. If they couldn’t get unanimous approval tonight, he and Ramirez had decided to stop pushing the issue and hope for cooperation between the two factions when the collapse occurred.
“Okay, back to business guys. I’m not going to pussyfoot around with you. I’ve—”
Ramirez and Mark began to laugh and others followed suit.
Grayson looked confused “What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, Grayson, but you’ve never pussyfooted around in your entire life,” Ramirez chuckled.
Grayson put on a pompous expression, held his nose in the air, and faked a good British accent. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps I’ll fool you and pussyfoot around sometime…just to let you know that I can.”
His response was so out of character, it evoked a hardy round of hooting and laughter that made him more at ease about his next sentence.
He took a deep breath and studied the faces around the room before speaking. “We have to decide on whether or not to combine resources with the SET Patriots.”
Groans and eye rolls replaced the jovial mood.
“Now, just wait. These are serious folks and straight shooters. They have a few dissenters just like we do. They’re receptive to instructions, which means we can mold them into an effective cadre to lead their relatives and friends to seal off the area during the die-off exactly what we need but can’t do.”
He went on to describe the details of their meetups, but kept his relationship with Laura to himself.
Ramirez opened for discussion. “The floor is now open to anyone who wants to address the MAG. As always, every voice carries the same weight.”
They all remained silent, expecting Samuel to speak. He looked down, studying the photos of the Mexican Muslims Joe passed out earlier. They sat quietly while he took the top photo and placed it on the bottom until he had reviewed all of them several times.
Samuel cleared his throat and spoke quietly. “Everybody knows that I’ve been adamantly against letting anyone know about our MAG. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and we’ve talked it to death. I pondered Grayson and the chief’s information and researched the Special Forces Operations manuals, even did online research into guerrilla warfare. The logic of it sounds good and it seems feasible.”
Grayson heard Samuel’s words, but his somber tone did not bode well for a positive decision. He held his breath.
“I came here today still prepared to vote against combining into a single unit. My family’s security, for me, meant keeping our BOL an absolute secret. Alice and I see the bits of news on the Muslim refugee invasion of Europe and Africa, but we haven’t given it much more than a passing thought. After looking at these photos and pondering what Joe told us, something deep inside tells me there’s more to this Murtadha situation than first meets the eye. Can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something strange going on there and it’s a little scary.”
Samuel, still looking at the photos, paused but nobody spoke a word. After a few seconds he continued.
“When the collapse takes place, for weeks we’ll be faced with an overwhelming number of refugees starving to death within walking distance of the BOL. City gangs and other desperate people would kill us for our food without a second thought. I’ve always believed that we could keep our operation a secret forever. Now, this Muslim crap pops up. We may have to contend with a combat-experienced gang of zealots hell-bent on killing us because of our religion. It’s obvious to me now that, without the SET Patriots, we don’t stand a chance. I’m in.”
Grayson let out his breath and plopped into his chair. “Thanks for your vote of confidence, Samuel. I believe you’re exactly right. You made a wise choice, made even wiser by your effort to gather and analyze all of the complexities of the issue.”
“So, what do we do to get this merger underway?” Charles asked.
Grayson had been considering his approach for months. “I’ll discuss it with Wayne in private. I have no doubt he’ll see the benefits of combining our resources. I’ll verify with him and then attend their next meetup to explain the plan and address their concerns and schedule a joint meetup at the lodge to make it official.”
“Let’s have a formal vote.” Ramirez said. “Those in favor of combining forces with the SET Patriots say aye.”
Everyone replied with a resounding aye.
“Those opposed say nay.”
The silence sealed the deal, as far as Grayson was concerned.
Ramirez made his retirement announcement, and their plans to relocate to the farm, but didn’t provide details. He then asked Grayson, “Any more business?”
Grayson considered announcing his return to Houston but decided against it, at least for the time. “No, sir. We may adjourn.”
“I like the sound of SET Patriots,” Mark said.
~~~
After everyone left, Grayson filled his insulated cup with coffee, put on his winter jacket, and lay in the grass to enjoy a star-filled black sky. A few puffy clouds lazily floated by, hiding a full moon now and then. A cool fall breeze and an owl hooting softly in the distance cleansed the cobwebs from his mind and soothed his soul. Millie came over and nuzzled his hand for a rub behind the ears. While analyzing his ambivalence to commit to Laura, his thoughts drifted to Shannon. Was she still trying to save the world and eliminate guns from the earth? He hoped her efforts were fruitless. There would come a day when they’d need every gun they could get their hands on. He felt it deep i
nside.
Chapter 40
The Merger
Year 9
The lodge was loaded with the full contingent of SET Patriots and MAG members. Using his strong command voice, Ramirez opened the joint meetup. “Settle down troops and let’s get this meetup underway, lots to cover. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer.”
Grayson spotted the man in the John Deere cap sitting, as usual, at a back-corner table, near the rear door. He drove to the meetup in an armored military vehicle with a machine-gun turret, but without the gun attached. Two men in camouflage and full kit with M4s accompanied him but waited in the vehicle. For the first time, oddly, the man nodded at him, but he didn’t smile.
After the opening ceremony, Ramirez pointed to Wayne.
“We’re gathered today to finalize a proposal to combine our forces with the Houston folks, our organic farmer friends.”
After the laughter died down, Wayne continued. “I’ve got to admit, your attention to OPSEC had us fooled. You wouldn’t believe the city slicker jokes that went around. We’re glad to know you’re well organized and disciplined. We believe our combined forces will complement each other’s security and survival when the time comes. We took a vote last meetup and, now, officially invite you to join the SET Patriots. What say you?”
Wayne sat down, and Ramirez took the floor for a prearranged quick word. “Thank you, Wayne. We are proud to join with you and call ourselves SET Patriots.”
His arms outstretched to sweep around the lodge and encompass all present. “Our combined forces will present all of us and all of our families with a greatly enhanced chance to survive a societal collapse and begin New America as a single community. To ensure that we are all of the same understanding, I’ll turn it back to Wayne to explain the protocols that we agreed to at the leadership meetup.”
“A quick overview is a good idea, Chief.” He directed his attention to the SET Patriots, “Notice that I referred to Mr. Ramirez as Chief. He is a distinguished retired military commander with years of combat experience as a Green Beret and currently is the Chief of Police of the Houston Police Department. As of now, he is our senior leader with command over our two divisions, the Headquarters Division and the Tactical Division.”