Invasion

by G. Allen Mercer

  These were questions that Ian would think about later as he pulled down a branch of a tree to get a better look at what was happening across the road from where he hid.

  The section of the road turned off into a large field. The field ran in both directions across the road and was devoid of trees. The field ran for miles in a west to east fashion. In the middle of the field was a fenced in gravel area with dozens of pipes protruding from the ground, arching over in an upside down ‘U’ and then burrowing back into the ground. This was a massive unmanned pipeline terminal.

  Ian pulled his binoculars up to his eyes. He counted four men, dressed in black; they were all working around the pipeline terminal. There was a fifth man rummaging through a small helicopter, which was parked just outside of the fenced terminal. The Brown’s farm was in the distance, about a half-mile down the pipeline field; there was no movement around the farm. He panned back to the men with his binoculars.

  Two of the men had their combat helmets off, their hair was a silky jet black, and there was no mistaking their Asian heritage. These two men were struggling with turning a giant circular wheel, which was attached to a valve. One had a massive piece of pipe that he swung at the valve every so often, which created the clanking sound.

  They’re trying to shut off the flow of oil.

  Ian panned his binoculars back to the helo, looking for anything that could help him. His mind raced through what he should do, and then he surmised what he was working with. He didn’t have a Ranger strike team; he had Boy Scouts and an emotional lawyer. He had a 9mm pistol a small arms rifle, and a six shot .38 revolver.

  Ian stowed the binoculars and pulled an earpiece from his backpack, which he plugged into his two-way radio. He needed advice, and there were two guys that he now trusted with his life on the other end of the radio call.

  “This is Ian, looking for Dukes or Birmingham Bob. Over.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Leah heard the call from her husband. It was the first time that she had actually heard his voice in over three days. She was still making her way down the sewer drain pipe in the dark and the voice made her stop in her tracks.

  “Ian,” she whispered to herself. Her headlamp illuminated the tunnel in front of her. She had taken one turn to the left a few hundred yards back, but she still didn’t have the end in sight. As far as she knew, no one was following her.

  The radio that she carried was tied to an earpiece and microphone like the one she would have used with her now dead cell phone. She listened to the men discuss Ian’s situation and then she heard a break in the conversation.

  She keyed the microphone and spoke to her husband for the first time in days.

  “Bulls-eye, this is Momma B. Over.”

  Ian sat upright at the familiar voice of his wife. The voice shot through him and almost caused him to lose all perspective on his current needs and the mission.

  “Momma B…Bulls-eye, how are you? Over.”

  Leah wiped the water from her eyes and struggled to keep her composure.

  “Bulls-eye, I’m on the way to meet Tardis Blue at the rally point. Over.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Ian said. “But, are you okay? Over.”

  She sobbed one big time and then fought to rein it in. He was asking directly about her…not about the world…not about whom they worked for…not about life and death…he was asking about her.

  “I’m making it, but can’t wait to connect,” she paused, but didn’t release the microphone. “I can’t wait to put our family back together,” she admitted. “Over.”

  “We’re working on that, aren’t we? Over.”

  “You’re damn right we are!” Grace broke into the conversation between her parents. “Mom…Dad,” she clicked off the microphone for a second, catching her breath and tempering her excitement. “Everything you ever said is true! Everything you ever taught me is working! Everything you ever wanted me to accomplish if the shit went south, I’ve done it…and more! Let’s make it to the rally point Momma B. Bulls-eye, we’ll see you back at the farm! Over!” she said, slapping Joshua on the shoulder with excitement at hearing her parents on the same channel.

  “Roger that Tardis Blue,” Ian said, his voice firm and full of pride. “Over.”

  “You got that right! I’ll be there, and you better be! Over,” Leah responded, the joy in her voice was the first she had heard in days. She then tried to refocus on her current mission of making it to the rally point.

  “Bulls-eye, I need some help,” she pleaded, knowing that he was in his own situation. “Over.”

  Ian looked at the soldiers across the street trying to cut off the flow of oil at the pipeline terminal. They had broken the grip on the main valve and it looked like they were working together to close the valve. The wheel of the valve must have been twice as large as the men, and they were having a hard time of it.

  “How can I help?” Ian asked quietly. “Over.”

  “Do you recall the new neighborhood we looked at last week? Over.”

  Ian thought about that for a second. Last week seemed like such a long time ago. “Affirmative. Over.”

  “I am in one of their new drain pipes that runs to the highway, because three helos sat down at that intersection that we always complain about,” she added to pass along the intel about the helicopters. “I can’t find a way out and I can’t go back. Over.”

  There was a pause before Ian responded; he knew right where she was.

  “Momma B, I’d advise that you stay straight or at minimum turn left at any intersection,” he said. Ian racked his brain for how contractors would lay out the pipes in a logical manner as it relates to the new neighborhoods in the area. “My guess is that you’ll come out near a new retention pond, or if you see a hard left, you might cross back under the street and then be able to climb out. Did you say three birds sat down at that intersection? Over.”

  “Bulls-eye, that’s affirmative. Why? Over.” She had been walking the entire time, and could now see light from an intersection up ahead.

  “Momma B, I think they’re staging to take the city,” he offered, hoping that he was wrong, but confident that he was right. “Are you on track to reach the rally point and do you have a tail? Over.”

  Leah looked behind her first to see if anyone was following her. She had been religious about looking back, and Daisy was on full alert, so she didn’t think she was being followed. Next, she looked at her watch; the analog dashes and hands glowed in the darkness of the pipe. “Negative to the tail, and 10-4 to rally point. Also, I think I see a way out. Tardis Blue, are you on schedule to meet at the rally point? Over.”

  “Working on it, but we have company,” Grace whispered. “Will advise, over.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Anna read through one of Violet Tiller’s field triage guidebooks as she sat at the kitchen table listening to the radio chatter between the Burrows family.

  “You’d think they were all Navy Seals or something,” Anna commented to Violet.

  Violet looked up from the task she was doing at the table to answer the girl. “It sounds to me like Grace’s parents have definitely had military training. Her father was a Captain in the Army, right?”

  Anna nodded. “I think that’s right. He doesn’t talk about it much. I think he served right after college in Iraq or somewhere like that,” she offered.

  “But Grace’s mother…what’s her name?”

  “Leah, Leah Burrows,” Anna answered. She had known Grace’s mother for most of her life and Leah Burrows was like a second mother to her.

  “Right, Leah,” Violet confirmed. She moved a few small medical supplies from one pile to another on the kitchen table. “She must have some training too, don’t you think?” Violet probed again.

  Anna looked up from the diagram in the book describing exit wounds from bullets. “Well, she works for an international charity. They do something with clean water. When Grace and I were little, Mrs. Burrows would travel internationally a
lot. I know that some of the places were pretty dangerous.”

  “Really? Like where?” Violet asked.

  “She went to Africa and Eastern Europe mostly,” Anna answered. “Grace said that the charity used to provide body guards in some of the places, but her mother never trusted them. She had the charity pay to train her in self defense,” Anna said, pulling the information from a number of conversations over the years with Grace. “I guess that’s where she gets it from,” she offered.

  “Interesting,” Violet answered.

  “I guess? So, what are you doing with all of this stuff?” Anna asked, referring to the piles of medical supplies spread on the table.

  “Well, I’m configuring a new version of my field medical kits,” Violet answered. She had more questions about these two new people that seemed to hold the lives of her children in their hands. The questions would have to wait. “I’m making them so that we can treat wounds that are more common during war. Things like bullet wounds, shrapnel removal, tourniquets, punctures and slices.”

  “Did you say, we?”

  Violet nodded and smiled. “I did. I’ve seen your interest in my medical books, and you told me about your passions for science and biology.” She moved around the table and put her hand on the girl’s back. “Also, with both of your parents being doctors, I imagine that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Anna nodded, listening to the woman reveal the girl’s true desires. She couldn’t believe it had taken a war to make her realize that she really did want to study medicine. She had spent the last two years telling her parents how much she hated medicine, and they had been right all along. She whished she could take it all back.

  “Do you think my parents would be proud of me?” she asked, looking up at the woman. Anna fought to keep the emotion from her voice.

  Violet pulled up the chair next to Anna. “I know they are.” She hugged the girl. “I know they are, sweetie.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Ian made his way back to where the Troop and Mary were hiding. Adam was not immediately visible when Ian appeared.

  “What’s it looking like?” Mary asked.

  “Where’s Adam?” he countered with his own question.

  Mary pointed to a very large boulder that was close by. Adam was lying down on top of the boulder. All Ian could see was his head and the tip of the gun. Adam had a vantage point that allowed him to see Ian and the soldiers working around the pipeline.

  “He saw you coming before you could see us,” she said with a crooked smile.

  Adam nodded to them and then turned to climb down from the boulder. “He’s like a chip off the old block,” she added with a smile.

  Ian raised an eyebrow. This kid was really starting to grow on him. Ian waited for Adam to climb down and then pulled everyone together for a briefing.

  “Alright, here’s what I know. Around that bend are five men; they are soldiers from China. They are our enemy, and they will not hesitate to kill us if they know we’re here. Is that clear?” he asked.

  All of the Scouts said, ‘yes sir.’ Mary nodded; she knew what he was talking about from her own first hand experience.

  Ian continued. “They are working to shut off the oil flow at a pipeline terminal. Adam, your Dad told me that this is the last major terminal before it reaches the East Coast. That makes it important,” he said, looking at the youth.

  Adam nodded. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

  Ian looked at each of the boys and then at Mary before responding. “We’re going to stop them,” he said simply.

  The boys seemed to like the decision; Mary was anything but supportive.

  “Are you out of your mind?” she asked. “We can’t take on professional soldiers with three guns and the Boy Scouts! There’s not a merit badge for that!”

  Ian countered her. “We can if we have reinforcements.”

  “I hope it’s the Green Berets or the National Guard or something!” she said, incredulous to Ian’s decision.

  “It’s Adam’s father,” he countered evenly. He then looked at Adam. “Your Dad was a Marine…”

  “Still is a Marine,” Adam cut him off politely.

  “Roger that; still is a Marine.” Ian continued. “He’s gearing up now and will take one of the horses to the top of the ridge. Once there, he will make his way down and we’ll stop these guys from shutting off the oil flow.”

  Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you out of your mind? You say, we’re just going to ‘stop these guys,’ like we’re gonna put them in timeout or something!”

  “Mary, I…”

  “No, Ian! Listen to me for a minute. These are children,” she waved her arm around at the Scout Troop. “They’re not Rangers or Seals or Storm Troopers or whatever! They build fires, help old ladies across the road and sell cookies!”

  “Ms. Mary,” Adam tempted. “That’s the Girl Scouts that sell cookies.”

  “Same difference!”

  “Ms. Mary,” Adam started again, not intimidated by the raised voice of an adult. “My Dad was in the Marines for 20 years before we took over the farm. He was Recon. That means that sneaking up on the bad guys and doing whatever he needed to do, was what he did. He’s real good at doing exactly what Mr. Ian just described.”

  Mary went to speak, and Adam cut her off again.

  “Also, I have been shooting for almost as long as I can remember. I am trained on most civilian weapons and my Dad taught Joshua and me some of his tricks. I’m not scared.”

  Mary lowered her voice. She already knew she wasn’t going to win this argument. “Adam, it isn’t about being scared. And, I know that you want to prove that you can do this; I can respect that.”

  “It really isn’t a choice anymore,” Ian said, effectively shutting down the debate. “We’re at war. This war has become very personal and has hit close to home. What those soldiers are doing over there is shutting down a major source of energy for the East Coast. If we allow that to happen, there could be many more lives lost. This is an opportunity to make a stand against the people that struck us first. Mary,” he lowered his voice, and looked her squarely in the eyes. “These are the people that killed Elizabeth.”

  Mary looked from Ian to Adam. That last statement of reality slapped reality into focus for her. “Okay, I give,” she said, bending to the argument. “But, I’m going on the record that I’m opposed to this, but…I guess I’m going to have to use this stupid thing,” she said, tapping the revolver on her belt. “So, show me how to use it again before I hurt myself,” she said to Ian.

  CHAPTER 9

  Grace and Joshua retreated up the hill from the apex of the road where they had viewed the city. From their hiding place behind several huge boulders, they watched a small black helicopter circle twice, scouting the area.

  “What’s he looking for?” Grace asked.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think he’s looking for us,” Joshua answered. “It actually looks like he’s looking for a place to land.

  “Damn! We’ve got to go,” Grace said, frustrated at the delay. “If he puts down right here, can we get down the road without him seeing us? We’ve got to meet my Mom!”

  Joshua looked over their shoulders and down the other side of the hill. “I think we can get away if we move slowly and stick to the forest for a mile or so, instead of the road. It’ll put us behind schedule, though. I think there’s some path up by that old water tower above us, but I’ve never been on it, so, that might not be the way to go.”

  The helicopter touched down on the road below them, and two soldiers jumped out. One soldier swept the area visually, his rifle pointing where he was looking. Satisfied that he wasn’t going to be ambushed, he turned to help the other soldier pull a large crate out of the helo. Once the door was closed, the helicopter lifted back off and flew away, leaving the two soldiers and the crate.

  “Maybe we should hang on a minute and see what they’re doing,” Joshua added.
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br />   Grace didn’t want to do it, but she agreed anyway; learning what the enemy was doing could be valuable. Besides, they would have to come back through here to get back to the farm, so they would have to deal with these guys either now or later.

  “Momma B this is Tardis Blue. Over,” she called quietly into her radio microphone.

  Leah stopped long enough to key her own microphone and respond to her daughter.

  “Tardis Blue, this is Momma B. What’s up? Over,” she asked and moved off of the side of the road and to the shade of some large oaks. There she took a swig off of her canteen and then poured some into a cup for Daisy.

  “Momma B, we’re going to be late,” she said. “A helicopter has just dropped two soldiers off at the top of the ridge, and we need to get past. Over.”

  “Tardis Blue, this is Bob,” Bob Tiller said, breaking into the conversation. “Are you at the top of Water Tower Pass? Over?”

  Grace looked at Joshua, and he nodded positively.

  “That’s affirmative. Over.”

  “Do they have anything with them? Over,” he asked, slightly out of breath.

  “Bob, can you be more specific? Over.” Grace countered. “Why is he out of breath?” she asked Joshua.

  “Sounds like he is already moving to go help your father,” Joshua suggested.

  “Do they have equipment like a satellite dish or materials to set up a radio tower? Over,” Bob asked more directly.

  Joshua put his small set of binoculars up to his eyes to get a better view on what the men in black fatigues were doing. He keyed his own microphone to takeover the conversation with his father.

  “Bob, affirmative,” he said, and then handed the binoculars to Grace. “I can see a small satellite dish.”

  “And they’re putting up a small radio whip, too,” Grace whispered to Joshua.