The expression on Ben’s face was priceless to the large group of Rebels and hippies gathered around.
“Are you ready, General?” Emil flung his arms wide.
Ben sighed. “I thought you injured your back, Emil.”
“Upon sighting the mighty indomitable presence of Ben Raines, my pain was forgotten.”
“Right.”
“Are you ready, General?”
Ben had to smile. “Give it your best shot, Emil.”
Emil did the bebop and rebop and the Twist, and then stopped suddenly, a pained expression on his face.
Sister Beth rushed up to him. “Why did you stop, Brother Emil? It was so lovely! We were all so . . . so moved by it all.”
“Yeah? Well, I can’t move! I hurt my fuckin’ back, Sister. I can’t straighten up.”
“How can I help, Brother?”
“I think I’m paralyzed!”
“Let me see if I can help.” Thermopolis stepped up.
Ben took that time to step out. Lively. Just before he got into his Blazer, he looked back at Jerre. She was looking at him across the tarmac. He almost walked across the expanse to her side.
Then she turned her back to him.
Ben’s face hardened. He got into the front seat.
“Where to, General?” Cooper asked, when Beth and Jersey were seated in the back.
“Back across the bridge. It’s safer from tiny little arrows over there.”
SEVEN
Ben was dreaming a very jumbled dream. It had Jerre as the central theme, naturally, but as usual, they were fighting. And as usual, they were standing far apart.
Then Ben smelled a very foul odor. He started to look down at his boots, to see if he’d stepped in something, when, even in his dream, he recognized the smell.
He rolled off the bed, his hand closing around the cocked and locked .45 he always kept on a small nightstand by the bed.
The roll and thunder of gunfire and the muzzle flashes from automatic weapons lashed in the room. They were followed by Ben’s emptying the .45 into the stinking knots of black-robed figures. Ben’s bedding caught on fire and flared up from the hot lead it had soaked up.
His gun empty, Ben hurled the nightstand into the crowd and heard a scream as one corner impacted with flesh and bone. He rolled away, coming up on his knees with his Thompson roaring and bucking and snorting and sending out sparks of fire and hot blunt death from the muzzle.
He was just faintly aware, over the roaring in his own room, and his temporarily impaired hearing, of other shots somewhere else in the building.
Infiltrated!
He was aware of a sticky hot feeling in his side, and of another stickiness running down the side of his head. He’d been hit, but had no way of knowing how bad. The shock of a massive wound would last from two to ten minutes. He made up his mind that while he could still function, he’d best do so.
He tried the lights. They came on. So the generator room had not been hit. Ben threw his bedding to the floor and emptied a pitcher of water on the flames, then jerked on his pants and boots and speed-laced them. He slung his battle harness over his shirt and fitted a fresh drum into the belly of the Thompson.
The sounds of battle were growing louder and wilder and closer. He ran into the outer office. Jersey and Beth were on the floor, gagged and all trussed up like hogs. But alive.
Ben cut the ropes and Jersey came up cussing.
“No time for that now, kid. Get your pants on.” He cut Beth free. “The creepies are all over us.”
Beth touched Ben’s face. Her hand came away bloody. Her eyes took in the spreading bloodstain on his shirt.
“I don’t think it’s bad. Come on, move, Beth!” He slapped her on her panty-clad bottom and grinned at her.
She blushed.
Ben stepped out into the hall and came face-to-face with a crawler. The Thompson came up before the crawler’s AK and Ben blew the ugly face into a thousand bits of blood and brain and bone, slamming the ugly against the hall wall.
Turning to his left, he cleared the hall of black robes just as Jersey and Beth came out and began firing to the right. The screaming of the wounded and the pounding of weapons on full auto drowned out all else.
Their sector at least momentarily clean, Ben glanced at Beth. “Get me a report from somebody. Is this campwide or just here?”
She slipped back for her radio. Ben kept his eyes on one end of the hall, Jersey on the other.
“Just here, General,” Beth called.
“Coming around the corner, General!” Dan’s voice boomed.
“Come on, Dan.”
Dan and his Scouts filled the hallway. He took one look at Ben. “Medic! On the double!”
Dan pointed to a room and several Scouts rushed in, checking it. “Clear, sir!” one called.
Dan literally pushed Ben into the room and into a chair, ripping off his battle harness and shredding his shirt, exposing a long bloody tear along Ben’s ribs: painful, but not serious. Taking water from his canteen, Dan washed away the blood from Ben’s head just as the medics entered. The Englishman immediately stepped away and allowed the medics room to work.
“It’s not serious, sir,” one of the medics told Ben after taking a closer look at the wounds. “But you’re going to be stiff and sore.” He gave Ben two shots and bandaged the wounds.
“Somebody better tell me what happened to security,” Ben said. “And what the hell time is it?”
“Three o’clock, sir,” Dan told him. “We don’t know what happened. Not yet.”
“Sir?” Beth came into the room. “Assassination attempts were made on all Rebel commanders simultaneously. General Ike had just last evening changed CP’s. The creepies hit the wrong building. General Ike is OK. Colonel West suffered a slight arm wound, and General Jefferys took a round through the shoulder. The situation has been stabilized in all sectors.”
“Thank you, Beth. You and Jersey tell me what happened here.”
“They were all over us, sir,” Jersey said. “They had us gagged and bound before we even knew what happened . . .”
“They came over from the other roof,” a Scout explained, walking into the room. “Used planks to cross over four buildings getting here. We found where they came up out of the street, out of a manhole cover. Then used ropes and hooks to climb the building. They killed the sentries with silenced weapons.”
Ben thanked him, and the Scout left the room. “I hate to do it,” Ben said, looking at Dan. “And it’s only a stopgap measure and damned time-consuming, but commencing at first light, have our engineers start welding closed every manhole cover they can find.”
“I think it’s a good move, General,” Dan told him. “When one takes into consideration that we are probably going to be in this city for some months.”
“The creepies have us by the short hairs, and they know it,” Ben mused, not expecting any reply. “They know damn well that we’ll do everything we can to prevent any of their prisoners from being killed by our actions. If it wasn’t for the prisoners, I’d pump chemicals underground and flush the maggots out. If it wasn’t for the prisoners, we could end this war quickly.”
“Perhaps, sir,” Jersey vocalized what was on a lot of peoples’ minds, including Ben’s, “the prisoners would be better off dead.”
“I know, Jersey. I’ve thought the same thing — more than once. But who among you wants to be the one to give the order to kill them along with the crawlers?” Ben met the eyes of everyone in the room. No one replied to his question. “We slug it out.” Ben stood up. “That’s all we can do.”
“Monte is about fifty miles north of Tina’s position,” Ben was informed. “And moving fast. Katzman has intercepted messages between the Night People and Monte, advising him of the importance of the airport. Monte radioed back that he will attack Teterboro Airport within forty-eight hours.”
“He has no choice in the matter,” Ben told the gathering in his new office, located just a few blo
cks from the George Washington Bridge. “Rebet and Danjou are still maintaining radio silence?” He glanced at Beth.
“Yes, sir. And staying one day behind Monte’s force as ordered.”
“Send them a coded message to close in. I want them within ten miles of Monte when he begins his attack on the airport. But far enough back to avoid being hit by our artillery.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell Cooper to warm up the Blazer. I want to see Tina one more time before the attack.” And Jerre. He pushed her out of his thoughts. She promptly came right back in. Never could tell her a damn thing.
Ben and his party made the short run to the bridge without incident. The savage pounding from his artillery had driven the creepies so far back from the expressway that that area was considered secure, but was still heavily patrolled and watched twenty-four hours a day by the Rebels. The bridge itself was guarded by a full platoon of Rebels at both ends, and the waters beneath it patrolled by gunboats. To relieve the tedium, the platoons were changed regularly. The rains had extinguished most of the heavier fires, but the area along the expressway still smoldered from the killing shelling.
From the bridge to the airport, the loop road was also heavily patrolled. Highway 46, from Terrace Avenue over to Outwater Lane, had been rendered impassable. Highway 17, from the airport down to Highway 3, was heavily mined, a death trap for anyone not knowing the route. If Monte’s people tried an end-around, they were going to be in for a very rude and deadly shock.
“I don’t see what else we can do,” Ben complimented his daughter. “You’ve thought of everything. How’s the new bunch doing?”
“Settling right in, Dad. They’ve all been advised that a massive attack is just around the corner. Emil said they came up here to fight, so let’s get it on.”
Ben walked around the area closest to the tower and terminal, and then, with Tina driving, rode around the airport fence. “The last planes will be coming in late tomorrow afternoon. After that, we’re on our own. The last bunch will be bringing in reloading equipment. But I doubt that we’ll have to use it.”
“Thermopolis was absolutely stunned when he saw the amount of equipment being flown in. I told him that when three thousand automatic weapons are all going at the same time, you burn up a lot of ammo.”
“The fence charged yet?”
She shook her head. “We’ll do that at the last minute. Dead birds around the fence would be a giveaway.”
Ben smiled. He had taught her well, and so had Dan. He started chuckling when he saw a battered old sign pointing the way to Redneck Avenue.
Tina pulled over to the side of the airport road. “We all had a good laugh at that, Dad. And just for spite we mined the hell out of it.”
Ben got out of the Jeep and stared at Redneck Avenue. He tried hard but could not detect a single mine. “Electrically fired?”
“Some of them. Some of them are trip-wired. We’ve got some Claymores planted in the weeds just for good luck.”
Back in the Jeep, they continued the slow circle of the airport.
They turned north just east of 17 and drove slowly back to the terminal area. “You have a rabbit hole out of here, don’t you, Tina?”
“Oh, yeah, Dad. They who fight and run away, live to fight another day.”
He laughed at her. “When they run on orders, that is.”
“Right. That was impressed upon the new people very strongly.” She was silent for a moment, with only the cold wind whipping around them. “You going to see Jerre before you leave?”
“Why should I?”
“Because whether you believe it or not, Dad, she does care for you.”
Ben turned his head away, refusing to reply. But it was not for the reason Tina suspected. “Ike radioed just before we left. They’re reclearing their sector, welding manhole covers in place, and so on. During a sweep of the buildings around the World Trade Center they found what was left of Ian. Identified by his dog tags. The creepies captured him and had him for supper.”
“Damn! You want me to tell Jerre?”
“No. I’ll tell her. It isn’t going to make that much difference to her anyway.”
“How in the hell can you say something like that, Dad?”
“Because I know her, kid. Come along with me. You’ll see.”
Jerre took the news without changing expression. “What happened to your face, Ben?”
“I cut myself shaving. I just told you about your boyfriend being eaten by creepies. Don’t you even care?”
“And I told you that he wasn’t my boyfriend. Of course I care. What do you want me to do, break down and bawl?”
Thermopolis was leaning against a nearby vehicle, watching and listening, an interesting expression on his face.
“I don’t know what I want you to do. I just wish to God you had kept your butt in Montana or wherever in the hell you were.”
Rosebud joined her husband. “What are they fighting about?”
“Ben just informed her about Ian somebody-or-the-other being eaten by the Night People. He’s all bent out of shape because she didn’t go into hysterics or faint, or something along those lines.”
“That’s not her way. Ian was a friend, she told me. She’ll cry for him, but in private.”
“They’re just alike, those two. That dawned on me after meeting the general. Theirs must have been an interesting relationship.”
“If your face wasn’t hurt, I’d slap you!” Jerre yelled at Ben.
“Hell, don’t let that slow you down, Jerre.”
She stepped back and hung a good old-fashioned cussing on him.
His reply, another, stronger version of a good old-fashioned cussing, was drowned out by the roaring of an incoming plane.
Jerre called Ben an egotistical bastard!
Ben called her a selfish, self-centered, ungrateful bitch!
Jersey and Beth and Cooper had beat it inside the terminal, out of the cold, for a cup of coffee.
“Ungrateful!” Jerre hollered at him. “I’m here, aren’t I? In your army, aren’t I? Fighting, aren’t I? Where do you get off calling me ungrateful? You . . . you arrogant son of a bitch!”
Tina and Rosebud and Thermopolis had squatted down beside the vehicle.
“Do you suppose this is going to clear the air between them?” Thermopolis inquired.
“Oh, no,” Tina told him. “They’ve been doing this for over ten years.”
“Everytime they get together, so Jerre told me,” Rosebud added.
“And accomplish absolutely nothing,” Thermopolis accurately pegged it.
“Your problem is,” Jerre pointed a finger at Ben, “if you don’t get your way, you sull up like a child!”
“Sull up! Me? Your problem is if you can’t use people, you dump them.”
“That’s a rotten lie!”
“What in the world is going on?” a familiar voice came from behind Tina.
She turned and rose to her boots, throwing her arms around the very handsome and muscular young man’s neck.
“Someone we should know?” Rosebud asked, she and her husband standing up.
Tina smiled. “This, folks, is my brother, Buddy Raines.”
EIGHT
“I never heard anyone speak to Dad in such a manner,” Buddy said. He still had a hospital look about him, but was obviously in good shape or the doctors at Base Camp One would have never OK’d his release.”
“That, dear brother, is the lady our father has been in love with for about a decade.”
“They certainly do have quite an interesting way of exhibiting their mutual affection, I must say. Or is it mutual?”
Tina waggled her hand in a so-so-maybe gesture.
The quartet stood and watched as Ben and Jerre ended their yelling. Jerre stalked off in one direction, and Ben turned to march off in the opposite. His eyes touched and locked in on Buddy.
Buddy walked to him. Father and son shook hands, and then embraced.
“I ough
t to kick your butt for coming up here, boy,” Ben growled at him.
“That might be a very interesting fight, Father,” Buddy said with a smile. “After all, you are getting along in years.”
Ben ruffled the young man’s already unruly mop of hair. Buddy wore his customary bandana around his forehead. The son’s eyes lingered on the small bandage on his father’s face.
“It’s nothing,” Ben assured him. “Should you be here, son?”
“I am one hundred percent, Father. The doctors say it should have taken me another three to four weeks to heal. But I was, according to them, in very good physical shape. I have news. Alvaro brought his people in from the west to beef up Colonel Williams at the base, so that freed my company. I brought them with me. They’re gathering up equipment now.”
“Great, son. That is great news. I, ah, am sorry you had to witness that, ah, exchange between . . .” Ben let it trail off.
The son shrugged. “She’s a beautiful woman, Father. Is she worth all the strain?”
Ben laughed at him. “Now, that, son, could be construed as a very chauvinistic remark.”
“If the shoe fits, and all that.”
Ben studied him. “Well, now. I’ve got to find a place for you.”
“Wherever you say, Father.”
“Your company can stay here at the airport tonight. You come with me. I’ll show you what I can of the Big Apple.”
Buddy had been amazed at the skyline of New York City, and dismayed at the havoc wrought on the city by the big guns of the Rebels.
But he had his father’s eye for the ladies, and was quite taken by Beth, even offering to carry her backpack radio for her.
“Leave my damn radio alone!” Beth told him. “That thing’s checked out to me.”
“I was only going to carry it for you.”
“I can carry it, I can carry it!”
Both Jersey and Ben thought it funny. Cooper just drove and kept his comments to himself. Buddy wedged in between Beth and Cooper in the backseat, pretending not to notice the quick glances fired in his direction from Beth.
In Ben’s office, Ben brought his son up to date, ending with: “Not the most enviable position to find oneself in, Buddy.”
Valor in the Ashes Page 21