Bug Out! Texas Book 7: Flood of Patriots

by Robert Boren

  “Pull one away from the Houston area,” Wallis said. “The Navy said they’ve got our back. Let’s trust that they do, at least until our guys are out of harm’s way.”

  “We’d really need to pull two of them,” Nelson said. “That’s a lot of hardware to cover six people.”

  “It’s ten now, and they’re valuable people,” Wallis said. “I’d rather they had the RFID app capability, so they’d have some terrestrial early warning.”

  “We aren’t even sure the new apps will work well enough,” Nelson said.

  Wallis sighed. “I know. This stinks.”

  “You think your guys will be hounded all the way to their new base, don’t you?”

  “I see nothing to tell me otherwise,” Wallis said. “You know the story of these guys. They’ve been hunted constantly. Changing vehicles doesn’t seem to matter. Being incognito doesn’t seem to matter. Hell, being in a high-rise hidden amongst millions of people doesn’t even seem to matter.”

  “Part of that was just bad luck,” Nelson said. “You do know that, right?”

  “It’s easy to think that, but then look what happens,” Wallis said.

  Nelson was quiet for a moment. “Okay. I’ll talk to Hogan, but if he pushes back even a little, we’re going the drone route. Got it?”

  “Okay,” Wallis said, getting up.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Nelson asked. “Stick around. I want you in on this conversation. You know more about this than I do.”

  “Of course,” Wallis said. “No problem.” He sat back down.

  “Brian, get General Hogan for me, please.”

  “Yes sir,” Brian said.

  “Still with the sir, huh?” Wallis asked quietly.

  Nelson nodded. “We might not be able to get him, you know. He’s in the frigging wild west compared to what we’re dealing with.”

  “He’s on,” Brian said.

  “Thanks,” Nelson said. He pushed the speaker button. “Hi, General.”

  “Governor, how are you?”

  “Things seem to be looking up,” Nelson said, “for the most part. I’ve got Wallis in here with me.”

  “Uh oh, something must be a problem,” Hogan said. “What’s on your mind?”

  “The capability we’ve discussed,” Nelson said, watching the speaker nervously.

  Hogan was silent for a moment.

  “We talked about this,” Hogan said. “I can’t let it go wide yet. We’re not ready.”

  “We don’t want you to go wide. We want the capability for one person. That’s it, just temporarily.”

  “You know this can be shared if it’s out there, right?” Hogan said.

  There was murmuring in the background on Hogan’s end.

  “You still there?” Nelson asked.

  “Yeah, the guy who developed the apps is sitting with me now. He said he can send a version to a specific phone, and set it up so it will only be usable on that particular device. That good enough?”

  “Yeah,” Nelson said.

  “There’s something else,” Hogan said. “We’ll put a countdown on this. It’ll delete itself after two days. That enough time?”

  “Yes, it should be,” Wallis said. “These are our key DPS Patrol Boat team. They’re trying to get to a base in the south-west part of the state. They’re being hunted.”

  Hogan chuckled. “This that group that turned the dogs loose on the Islamists?”

  “You got it,” Nelson said.

  “Okay, send me the phone number, and then tell your guy to stay in good cell range and stay off his phone for a while. You copy?”

  “Yes, General, thanks,” Nelson said.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Wallis said. “I’ll call him right now.”

  “Don’t mention the capability when you talk to him,” Hogan said. “We’ll send a package telling him how to use it.”

  “Yes sir,” Wallis said. He put his phone to his ear and had a hushed conversation.

  “Where’s your other team?” Hogan asked.

  “They should be leaving the Amarillo area just about now,” Nelson said.

  “And the prisoners?”

  “Already at Waco,” Nelson said. “You want to question any of them?”

  “Not yet,” Hogan said. “Make sure you watch them well. I’m sure the enemy is already working on a plan to spring them.”

  “We are,” Nelson said. “Trust me.”

  “Okay,” Wallis said. “He’s ready. I just texted you the phone number.”

  “One other thing,” Hogan said, “and this is important. You can only use this in a very narrow fashion. Get it? No using it to look at all of Texas. If you start hitting all the bad guys in the state, they’ll figure out what our capability is, and we’ll lose all the big fish. You guys agree?”

  “You have my word on that,” Nelson said.

  “I mean it,” Hogan said. “Even if you could use it to save a city. That’s not important enough. We don’t want to win a battle but lose the war. Understand?”

  “Yes sir,” Nelson said. “I understand completely, and I promise we won’t do that.”

  “Perfect, talk to you guys later.” Hogan got off the call.

  Nelson leaned back in his seat. “I’m surprised they went for this.”

  “Me too,” Wallis said. “They can zap this application, I suspect. If we make the wrong moves, it’ll be devastating to our plans and theirs. I told Richardson to stay within the boundaries they set. No matter what.”

  “Okay, good,” Nelson said. “What if our guys get captured or killed while they have the apps?”

  “Then we call Hogan right away and have them deactivate the apps,” Wallis said.

  “This makes me nervous as hell,” Nelson said. “Now get out of here. I’ve got work to do.”

  Wallis smiled and got up. “Thank you, Governor.”

  Nelson watched him walk out of the office, and then went back to his paperwork, pausing after a moment to look at the ceiling, his heart beating too fast. Calm down, dammit.

  Chapter 25 – Good News and Bad News

  “What are we gonna do?” Carrie asked as Jason drove them back to Amarillo Oasis.

  “We’re gonna deal with it,” Jason said. “What choice do we have at this point?”

  “You’re not leaving me somewhere,” she said, “I’m going. I’ll relax inside our rig. It’ll work.”

  “If I chose to leave you away from the group somewhere, I’d be with you,” Jason said. “No way would I take off on you to stay with this group. You do know that, I hope? You’re the most important person in my life by far. You and Chelsea and the baby are my top priorities. Period.”

  “What’s the matter, mommy?” Chelsea asked from the back seat of their Jeep.

  “Nothing, honey,” Carrie said. “Mommy’s just going to have to take it easy until the baby comes. That’s all.”

  “We’re lucky we had you checked out,” Jason said. “We could’ve been too late.”

  “Or everything might have been fine,” Carrie said. “Do they think ancient humans didn’t have stress in their lives when they were pregnant, for God’s sake?”

  “Try to settle down,” Jason said, looking over at her. “We’ll need to work hard on this. If you don’t think you can, we’re gonna take off. Find someplace to ride this out.”

  “That’ll just be worse,” Carrie said. “They’ll find us, and we’ll be alone.”

  “Mommy, why are you crying?” Chelsea asked.

  “It’s okay, sweet pea,” Jason said. “Really.”

  “Yes, honey, I’ll be fine.”

  “There’s the park,” Jason said, making the last turn. “We’ll be home in a second.”

  They pulled up next to their motor home. Kate was sitting next to Kyle, and got up when they parked.

  “Well, they give you the vitamins and everything?” Kate asked as she approached.

  “Yeah,” Carrie said, trying to put on a happy face. “It’s a girl.”
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br />   “Something’s wrong,” Kate said, stopping in her tracks. “Is the baby all right?”

  “The baby’s fine, but she’s under stress,” Carrie said, on the verge of tears. “The doctor thinks it’s due to stress on my part.”

  “Oh, crap,” she said. “He give you some tools to fight it?”

  “The usual deep-breathing stuff,” Carrie said. “I’ve already been doing that.”

  Kyle walked over to Jason as he finished getting Chelsea out of her car seat. “Something bad happened. I see it all over your face.”

  “The pregnancy is under some risk,” Jason said. “Too much stress. I have to help Carrie to relax. I might have to back away from the battle a little bit.”

  “You want to go elsewhere? Get out of this?”

  “How can we?” Jason asked, walking towards the women, Chelsea bouncing along in front of them. “There’s no place I can take her that’s safer. The bastards are gonna find us if we try.”

  “So you’re still going to New Mexico?” Kyle asked. “Sure that’s a good idea?”

  “No,” Jason said. “I think it’s a bad idea, but it’s the only choice I see at this point.”

  “How’s she taking it?” Kyle asked, watching Kate and Carrie talking.

  “She’s scared to death,” Jason whispered.

  Several car horns started blowing at the front of the park.

  “Oh, shit, what now?” Kyle asked. Carrie shot a scared look at Jason, and rushed over, grabbing Chelsea’s hand on the way.

  “Stay calm, please,” Jason said to Carrie.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Who knows, maybe nothing,” Jason said. “Let’s go up there.”

  Just at that moment, Jason’s phone rang. He pulled it out. “It’s the chief.” He answered it.

  “Chief, what’s going on? Somebody’s sounding horns like a frigging air raid siren here.”

  “You folks need to get on the road right now,” Ramsey said. “Big movement of troops are coming your way.”

  “Did you tell anybody else around here?”

  “No,” Ramsey said.

  “Then why are the horns honking in the park?” Jason asked, then saw Chloe and Alyssa running towards them. “Shoot, never mind. It’s the social media team. I’ll bet somebody saw something.”

  “Probably,” Ramsey said. “Get on the road. Go south, as planned. The bad guys are coming from the north.”

  “Where north?” Jason asked.

  “Colorado. It’s a large group. You might be able to take them on, but we don’t want you to. Understand?”

  “Yes,” Jason said. “Talk to you later.” He ended the call.

  “What is it?” Carrie asked.

  “Enemy on the way. We need to leave now.”

  “I’ll spread the word,” Kyle said.

  “Yeah, do that, and I’ll do the same.” He turned to Carrie. “Go get the coach ready, and try to relax.”

  Carrie laughed. “This just figures. At least it’s kinda funny.”

  “Good way to look at it. I’ll be back to hook up the Jeep in a couple of minutes.”

  He turned to see Alyssa and Chloe. “You girls saw something, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Chloe said, out of breath. “We need to leave fast. They’re only an hour away.”

  “You sure we should believe those folks?” Alyssa asked.

  “Yes,” Chloe said. “I know these folks. They’ve been involved since the beginning of our team.”

  “I just heard from Chief Ramsey,” Jason said. “They’re visible from the drones. We need to go.”

  “Do you know where my Dad and Sydney are?” Alyssa asked.

  “They’re not here?” Jason asked.

  “They left the park a couple hours ago.”

  “Dammit,” Jason said, looking around. He saw Don’s SUV driving through the gate. “There they are!”

  Alyssa and Chloe turned and saw them. “Oh, thank God,” Alyssa said.

  “Seriously,” Chloe said. “C’mon, we got work to do. Thanks, Jason.”

  “No problem,” Jason said. He trotted over to the office and went inside to talk to Pat and Brushy.

  “Dad, where were you?” Alyssa asked as she got to the SUV, pulling next to the trailer.

  “Hey, honey,” Don said. “What’s the matter?” He went to the passenger side and opened the door for Sydney.

  “The enemy’s coming. We’ve got to leave right away.”

  Don and Sydney looked at each other, then back at her.

  “How? From where?” Sydney asked.

  “They’re coming down from Colorado,” Chloe said. “Some of our contacts from up there are seeing them. Then Chief Ramsey called Jason and confirmed.”

  “Dammit,” Sydney said. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” Don said. “Girls, we have some news.”

  “Maybe this should wait,” Sydney said.

  “No chance,” Don said. “Sydney and I eloped.”

  Alyssa’s eyes lit up. “You’re married! Congratulations!”

  “You aren’t upset?” Don asked.

  Alyssa and Chloe looked at each other and laughed. “Dad, you were as good as married anyway. We’re not blind.”

  “Good,” Don said. “I was worried.”

  “Oh, Dad, we love Sydney, and we can tell how much she loves you. I think it’s great.”

  “Me too, as your almost daughter,” Chloe said. “Wish we could’ve been there.”

  “I know,” Don said. “We’d better get busy.”

  “We’re pretty much ready to go,” Chloe said. “You didn’t see Dirk and Cindy in town, did you?”

  “No,” Don said. “Why?”

  “We saw them leave a little while ago. Sherry said they were looking at a used trailer.”

  Don and Sydney shot each other a glance.

  “Did you see this coming?” Don asked.

  Sydney smiled. “Yes, I did.”

  “Seriously,” Chloe said. “Men can be a little clueless.”

  “I hope they get back here pretty soon,” Alyssa said. “Sherry and Francis tried to call them. They’ve been a little frantic.”

  “Okay, get ready. I’ll be over there after we get our trailer hitched up.”

  The girls nodded and ran back over to Francis’s trailer.

  “Hell, they weren’t even surprised,” Don said, shaking his head.

  “I know,” Sydney said.

  “Did you expect that reaction?”

  “No,” Sydney said. “C’mon, let’s get ready to go.”

  “How are you doing? This kinda upset our honeymoon plans.”

  Sydney snickered. “Oh, please,” she said. “We’re leaving a day earlier than I expected. It’s okay. It’s not like we aren’t dragging our bedroom with us.”

  Don chuckled. “True that. Look, here come’s Dirk’s truck, pulling that small trailer.”

  “Oh, good,” Sydney said. They heard the big diesels of the flatbed trucks fire up.

  “Good, the tanks are ready to take off,” Don said as he cranked the jack on the front of the trailer to raise the tongue.

  “Wow, they’re moving already,” Sydney said.

  “Watch me while I back up, wife,” Don said.

  “Okay, husband.” Sydney smiled, getting next to the hitch. Amanda and Curt rushed over.

  “Where the hell were you?” Amanda asked.

  Sydney held up her hand, trying to concentrate on the SUV backing up. “Okay, that’s about right. Cut it.” She started cranking the trailer jack, the hitch lowering over the ball.

  “Hey, earth to Sydney,” Amanda said. Sydney looked up at her for a moment, grinning.

  “Shit, you did it, didn’t you?” Amanda asked, rushing over to her, hugging her and laughing.

  “What am I missing here?” Curt said as Don walked over.

  “We got married in town,” Don said.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” he said, smiling. “Thanks a lot. Now Amanda’s gonna want
the same.”

  “You’re damn straight, honey,” Amanda said, shooting him a wicked grin.

  Don laughed. “Sorry, but don’t give me any crap. You’re headed down the same road anyway.”

  Curt looked at him. “Don’t tell anybody.” They both laughed and patted each other on the back.

  “You guys ready to take off?” Sydney asked.

  “Yep, now that you’re back,” Curt said. “See you on the road. C’mon, Amanda, let’s get moving.”

  Amanda nodded and followed him away.

  “Now it’s gonna spread like wildfire,” Don said.

  “Good,” Sydney said. “I want everybody to know about it right now!”

  The vehicles were queued up at the gate, rolling through in a steady stream as Pat and Brushy rushed around getting things shut down and locked up. Soon the whole place was silent and empty.

  Chapter 26 – Geronimo and Seguin

  “We’ve got to pull over,” Richardson said, looking at his phone while behind the wheel of the rental truck.

  “Problem?” Lita asked.

  “Just got a text from Commissioner Wallis. I’m going to need both hands free to work with my phone. You mind driving for a little while?”

  “Not at all,” Lita said. “I’ll text the others so they don’t freak.”

  “Yeah, do that while I pull over,” Richardson said.

  He pulled off onto the wide flat shoulder, then got out and went to the passenger side of the cab. The others stopped behind them. Lita slid over on the big bench seat, getting behind the wheel. They drove back onto the road, Richardson’s eyes glued to his phone.

  “Put on your seatbelt,” Lita said.

  “Oh, I know, click it or ticket,” he said, shooting her a sly grin. He put on his seatbelt, keeping one eye on the phone.

  “What’s going on?” Lita asked.

  “I’m getting a couple of applications and some instructions sent to my phone,” he said. “I think I know what it is.”

  “Sounds interesting,” she said.

  “Here it comes,” Richardson said, watching as his phone was taken over.

  “What’s it doing?”

  “Installing,” Richardson said. He was silent for more than five minutes.

  “That must be quite an install,” she said.