by Rob Buckman
“Who’s the we? You aren’t Special Forces even if you are dressed in their outfits.”
“How would you know, dickhead?” The shortest of the three snarled. Decker took several steps towards them so they could see him clearly. It only took a moment before all three had their eyes locked on the winged dagger hat badge on the front of his beret. He could see in their eyes they all knew what it was, and what it meant.
“As I said, you aren’t Spec Ops, so where did you get the gear?”
“The Boss is… or was an SWCC… Navy Seal and he raided a depot down south a ways. He and the others decided to go into business for themselves seeing as there was no more government left.” Decker nodded. It made sense from what he’d seen so far.
Two of them were fingering their weapons as if they had the intent to use them. Decker clicked his fingers twice, and made an openhanded motion. The moment he did, ten of the girls stood up, right beside the three men. In their all-covering white Ghillie suits, it looked as if the dirty patches of snow on the forest floor had suddenly come to life with an alien life form. All three froze, and any thought they might have had about using their weapons vanished like the morning mist. One man they might be able to take, ten strange looking beings around them was a different matter.
“Drop your weapons, backpacks, and TAC gear.”
“What…”
“Do it or we’ll shoot you and take it off your dead bodies.” Joann snarled. With that choice, they quickly stripped, dumping everything at their feet.
“Now go and tell your Boss man to leave us alone… or else.” The three men took off without another word, and Decker waited until they were out of sight before moving.
“Anyone hurt?” He asked.
“We’re good. Took most of them out as they scrambled down the hill, but missed these three lagging behind.” Krista replied. He had a pretty good idea how they’d taken them out but refrained from asking for details. The team knew what to do with bad guys, and he let them sort out the morality of it between themselves. They’d probably lay doggo, and waited for them to walk into the trap, and swarmed them, which accounted for no shooting. Few in the Regiment talked about the kills they’d made, or gave details. If asked, most said they just got the job done and left it at that. It was only civvies and a newbie that asked that silly question, and he’d always wondered what they expected him to say, not that many asked after looking into his gray eyes.
“Good, spread the captured gear around and let’s get out of here.” As he spoke, it started snowing, and a bitter cold wind started to blow down the road. Decker shivered, but it had nothing to do with the weather. They needed to find shelter and soon, as from the look of the sky, this was no flurry, guessing the first early winter storm had arrived.
Moving back onto the road the Pack took off into the growing snowstorm, and about the only good thing he could think of was that it would cover their tracks. A look at his map-pad didn’t show anything promising for many miles except an oil field gathering station. The only other place where they might find decent shelter was Crestview, another twelve miles up 395. If they made two miles an hour uphill in this snow, it would take at least six hours to get there. Decker sighed, so what else was new. He shook his head and ordered the flanking teams to move in closer. He also ordered everyone to rope themselves together so as not to lose each other in the blizzard. At least now they didn't have to worry about being spotted by the alien destroyers, as it was impossible to see anything in this weather, or so he hoped. Oddly, they’d only dimly seen one fly over all morning, so he just counted his blessings and trudged on. Maybe there was something to Burrole's claim the aliens didn’t like to go up into the mountains because of the altitude or the cold. If that was the case, using humans to hunt down anybody hiding up here made sense. Once they got rid of 90 percent of the human race, and taken over the planet, hunting down the remained humans could take as long as they wanted. Decker still had the suspicion the UFMs were waiting until the remaining humans had gathered together, and nature to take its course with hunger, disease, and infighting to reduce their numbers. Once they’d bred enough troops to wipe out the remaining large pockets of humanity, they’d go on a ground offensive and wipe out the rest. The evidence he’d seen so far supported that theory, not that it was of any great comfort, as they still had no way of defeating the aliens with what they had to work with. By now, most of the children were riding on the carts, only getting off at the steeper points to help pull. Decker made sure they changed out the people pulling the carts, not wanting people to start dropping from exhaustion. They trudged on, looking more like snowmen every minute. In all, it took seven hours to reach Crestview and shelter, such as it was.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: SUPER WEAPON
Jen, are you telling me you can make… build this damn thing?" Decker looked up from the neat drawings in the notebook, his brow pulled together in a frown of disbelief.
"I can, if I get the right parts." Jennifer Aston smiled, rubbing her hands together to warm them. "I told you I was an engineer before all this shit came down on our heads.
"But… but…" Decker struggled to find the words, but Jennifer beat him too it.
"Look, if the old guy who drew all this stuff in the notebook is right, and you build it to his specifications, it will work."
"So why hasn't anyone done it?"
“You've got me. The principal has been around for a long time, just not in these particular configurations. It's like the interrupted windshield wiper.” Decker looked blank, failing to make the connection.
“Ford and Mercury spend years and millions of dollars trying to engineer one. Then a guy named Robert Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper systems used on most automobiles from 1969 to the present. Invented the thing on his kitchen table.”
"Wow." June laughed. “I didn’t know that.”
"Yeah. As he said, it was just a matter of putting the right widgets in the right place." She laughed at Decker's expression.
"Widgets, huh. Sounds like a real engineering term to me."
"It’s a highly technical term but I just like to keep it simply for you poor lay people."
"So, what do you need?"
“CPVC pipe, lots of ultra-thin copper wire, a bunch of electronic parts, a workshop, and power.”
“What else?”
"We should be able to find most of that in town. The scavengers wouldn't touch most of that stuff we need. Radio Shack, TV repair shops, maybe even an electronic supply outlet would have most of what we need. Power is another matter."
“How much power?”
"All I need is a small portable generator to power the light, soldering iron, but I might need to machine a few parts as well, such as the projectile and loading mechanism."
"That shouldn't be too much of a problem. It just means we'll have to find a machine shop and rig power." Decker thought it through. They were stuck for the winter and spring, or until the mountain passes cleared. Decker brought up the subject at the daily command meeting.
"Let's hope our hunting parties bag enough game to keep us fed long enough to try out Jen's device."
"We made a good effort scavenging through the town and should have enough supplies to last us." Even saying that, June still looked worried. It still worried Decker as well, not knowing if they could find enough food stocks to keep them going through the winter.
"It's the spring I'm worried about. We have to be ready and physically able to march out of here, not just survive through the winter."
"I hear you, sir."
"Okay then. I gave Jen the green light. At least it will keep us busy for a while finding all the stuff she'll need."
"And the rest?" June asked.
"That's what worries me. We need to start a training program, not only to keep our minds and bodies sharp but to stave off the boredom of sitting around with our collective thumbs up our asses."
"Yes, sir. I figure we will have to stay here at least four months
."
"Shit, shit, shit. If only we'd moved…" Decker cut himself off. There was no good complaining what might have happened. In retrospect, it was a miracle the Pack managed to make as much mileage as they had.
They just hadn't reached the mountains until it was too late, but he couldn't really blame the girls. With all the KEW’s coming down and kicking up a lot of dust into the upper atmosphere, the alien’s had brought on a mini ‘nuclear winter’ and early monster snowstorms. The girls on the other hand performed way passed his expectations, and considering they'd only lost eight people, mostly the new girls during the last push was a testament to just how tough these girls were now. After reaching Crestview, they waited out the storm for three days before they could move again to the only viable place he could find up highway 395. That was Bridgeport. The only thing to stop the place from being completely depressing was the foot or so of snow that covered the desiccated bones of the late inhabitants. Decker quickly set up his CP in the brick Courthouse, and sent the rest of the team to search for suitable living quarters, knowing they were going to be here for a while. Strangely, there was little damage to the town itself and without being able to see the remains of the bodies, he couldn’t tell if the inhabitants were killed off by the aliens or they’d just left. Decker was thankful scavengers hadn’t found this place as it gave the team a chance to gather enough supplies to last out the winter. The sky remained dark gray with low clouds that promised more snow shortly, adding to the two foot already on the ground.
The good side was that the alien destroyers couldn’t see shit in this muck, so he expected they were safe for now. Decker got the team to winterize the old courthouse by gluing Styrofoam sheets over every window and seal the edges with foam sealer, thereby cutting down the heat loss through the glass. It also stopped any betraying light from giving their location away to either the aliens or marauding scavengers. The Tower on top of the courthouse was an excellent lookout and sniper position, not that he had anyone up there during the storm or at night, it was too damn cold for that. The courthouse did have central heating from a furnace in the basement, but it took several days to round up enough propane to fill the main tank, and keep them going through the winter. Between the courtroom, offices and other rooms there was enough space for everyone, but for those that wanted a little more privacy there was the Silver Maple Inn next door. The girls did manage to find polypropylene socks, gloves, and winter gear in Ken’s Sporting Goods just a few doors down, and as Decker thought, the scavengers hadn’t bother with the place too much, except for the guns and ammo. Once that was done Decker, send them out on a scavenger hunt for any available foodstuff as well as blankets, new sleeping bags, mattresses and anything to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Once they’d settled in, he organized scouting parties to start searching every house and store for useful items. It was only after that was underway did he have them also start searching for what June needed, as survival came first. He was glad he did, as a week later the second, bigger snowstorm hit later, that lasted a week.
The constant cold, deep snow, bone-chilling wind and the short days were having its toll on everyone. Arguments and fights broke out over trivial things. Discipline started to break down, unit cohesion fell apart. Lover’s quarrels broke out on a daily basis, and Decker lost track of who was sleeping with whom. Not that it was his concern who slept with who, just how it affected unit discipline and performance. In the end, he called a meeting late one evening, or at least that was how it was phrased. Even so, a few of the girls didn't show, and he had to send people to drag them to the hall.
"Fall in!" He yelled, feeling a nice warm feeling of anger building.
It was bad enough trying to keep a bunch of guys occupied through a long stand-down, but at least soldiers understood the limits. It was time he read them the riot act, much as he'd done when they first met. He watched out of brooding eyes as the girl's pushed and shoved each other as they tried to remember where they were supposed to stand.
"I've had it!" He growled as he stalked back and forth along the front rank.
"I told you in the beginning if you couldn't hack it I was out of here. Well ladies, you can't hack it, and so, as of tomorrow morning I'm out of here and you can figure it out all on your own." That brought silence.
"So, you're just going to walk…"
"Did I give you permission to open your fucking mouth?" He yelled. Before, Gloria would have been intimidated by his bluster, but not any longer, not after the last six months of shit they'd been through. She glared back at him, gritting her teeth but didn't say anything else.
"This is the tough part, and it's going to get tougher before we can move again, but you can't handle it, can you? All you want to do is sit around whining and bitching about the cold, the lack of good food and who's fucking who." He stopped in the center and looked them over.
"Boredom can destroy an army quicker than the enemy ever could, and that's what it's done here. Look at yourselves. Go on - look at each other and see what you’ve become. A bunch of bitchy little girl's, crying because you don't have anything to do." They did look at one another, blushing sheepishly, others nodding in understanding.
"You have two choices. One, you can get your act together and start acting like the soldiers you pretend to be, or you can leave and stop eating our food and wasting my time." That set up a murmur.
"Shut it! At first parade tomorrow morning, all those that want to stay and start behaving yourself, be here in full marching order. The rest I don't ever want to see again, now get the fuck out of my sight. You’re pathetic." With that, he slammed out of the room, a crooked grin on his face. If that didn't shake them up, nothing would. Soft footsteps in the snow behind him made him stop. He knew without turning who it was.
"Joann. What are you doing?"
"Going with you of course." Decker pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"Joann. I am not; repeat not going to take you to bed."
"I know."
"So…"
"Like it or not, I am going to be your shadow, and the day I turn 18 you are going to screw my brains out, because that's what you're waiting for, isn't it?" She had a point.
What difference it would make for him to wait until she was eighteen before he took her to bed, especially after the aliens had wiped out half the human population he didn't know. To Decker it was simply that if he did, he'd be no better than all the other assholes. All running around fucking any young female they could get their filthy hands on, no matter how young. Joann moved up close and stood on tiptoe. She kissed him on his cold nose.
"I'll wait until I'm legal." She laughed and looked down. Decker let out a soft curse knowing she was looking at the budge in his pants. "But then again, maybe not." She giggled and skipped off through the snow toward her billet.
"Girl, you are going to be the death of me yet." Decker turned away and continued walking, only to have another figure materialize out of the darkness near the building.
"You're a good man, John Decker." June Landers chuckled.
“No, I'm not. I'm a mean SOB with too much blood on his hands to be around decent people.”
"Decent like Joann?"
"Yeah. She needs to find a nice young man somewhere and screw his brains out. Maybe she'll stop bothering me then." June laughed.
"You are one, aren’t you? All piss and vinegar as they say, ready to fight or fuck at the drop of a hat, yet you can't take one willing… one very willing horny young girl to bed."
"June!"
"Hey, I'm saying it like it is, Commander. You don't mince words with us why should I mince them with you."
"The last thing she needs in her life is someone like me."
"Because you might just go off and get yourself killed doing something incredibly brave and heroic to save one or all of us?"
"Yeah, could be." He gave her a slight smile.
"Or are you still mourning your lost wife and child?" That hurt. Decker bun
ched his fist.
"Shit! She's the same age as my daughter for Christ sake!"
"And your one great fear is that some asshole. Just like we keep running into, is doing the same thing to her as they’re doing to those young girls they find."
"Yeah, something along those lines."
"Well, it's the way of the world, and has been from the beginning, and nothing you can do is going to change that." Even Decker had to admit June had a point, but it just wasn't in him to take advantage of the situation to satisfy his own lust. In the final analysis that was it was, lust, not love.
He badly wanted to rip Joann's clothes off and fuck her in every way imaginable. He wouldn't be kind or thoughtful. He be rough and demanding and take her, willing or unwilling, even rape her just to satisfy his needs, and that scared him. June moved up close and gripped his arm as if she knew what he was thinking.
"We have just lost half the world's population, Decker, and one way or another we have to replace those we’ve lost, if not for their sake, then for ours." Decker nodded.
"I think we are going to lose a hell of a lot more before we kick these assholes off the planet, even if we can."
"You think we can't?"
"Not with the shit we have for weapons. Christ, we can hardly dent their scout ships or destroyers with what we have. Even a 105 mm bounces off their hull."
"Hopefully that thing Jenifer is working on will help."
"If she can get the damn thing to work. So far every test has been a bust." Just then, they heard the distant cry of a lone wolf, but it wasn’t long before others joined in.
“Funny how once you get rid of human’s the wild life comes back, especially the predators.”
“Yeah, seen a few wolves at the edge of town, and seen their tracks here and there.” Decker lifted his head and tried to imitate the wolf cry but it was nothing like the one a true wolf could make. Even so several wolves answered, and that made him smile.
Decker walked moodily off to his billet, only to find Joann beat him there and had his bed made up, coffee brewing in the pot and a glass of whisky sitting beside a bowl of MRE, beef stew by the smell. Joann's bed was a sleeping bag unrolled in the far corner of the small bedroom, the lump inside telling him Joann was already snuggled down. Without any real heat, ice was already forming around the windows despite the insulation and caulking, so undressing to go to bed was out of the question. Decker sat and ate his lonely meal in silence, the whisky and coffee warming his stomach as he stripped and cleaned his weapons. His 9 mm sat cocked and ready by his hand while he stripped, cleaned, and oiled his rifles. Old habits die hard, and more than one man had died because he didn't follow that rule.