On the monitor a lone figure had gotten off a LAV and was standing behind the vehicles as they pulled forward. The figure was pulling their pants down mooning the advancing horde then turning around giving them the finger.
Looking at the monitor Angela yelled, “Bring me a microphone!” A young boy ran out of flight control and plugged up a microphone and handed it to Angela.
Keying the mic, “Omega, this is base do you copy?” she called.
A few seconds later, “This is Omega driver one, we copy,” a reply came back.
“Tell Big Daddy One to get his ass back in his track before Little Foot and Little Red come down there and kick his ass. Let him know we’re grabbing keys to drive down there right now, over,” Angela called over the radio.
“Copy base,” the driver responded.
“He done that earlier and I asked him to quit it,” Stephanie told Angela.
Angela looked at her, “If he’s not back in that track in the next few minutes get ready to leave,” Angela informed her.
On the screen they watched the figure they knew was Bruce dancing in front of the horde. Bruce stopped dancing and looked up at the sky and ran back to his LAV. Climbing on the LAV, Bruce stood on top of the turret and waved at the sky.
“He’s back in his track,” the driver reported.
Then Bruce came over the radio, “I was just showing them I could dance.”
“That’s good Big Daddy but keep on task or everyone wears socks from now on,” Angela called back.
“That’s so uncool,” Bruce shot back.
“Now you have fun but stop doing stupid shit. You promised, if you keep your promise we’ll keep ours and stay at the base, if not we are driving down there,” Angela told him.
“Copy that,” Bruce called back sounding dejected.
“Thank you Mama Angela and will you tell Daddy, he can’t run up and pee on them!” Buffy yelled over the radio.
“You’re jumping the chain of command there BB,” Bruce announced.
“I agree with BB, seeing your white ass throws off my rhythm,” Jake called over the radio.
“Big Daddy, stop the shit and just kill. I’m not kidding we’ll drive down there and no one here will stop us because I’ll shoot ‘em in the knee caps,” Angela called over the radio.
“I copy,” Bruce replied then added, “Spoil sports.”
Mike walked over and grabbed the mic, “This is Big Daddy Two. When you finish with that horde stay in place we’re flying you some more ammo. And Bruce if you keep the stupid shit up I’ll make them drive my Ford down there to kick your ass,” Mike threatened.
“My wives had better not set foot in a Ford!” Bruce yelled out.
“Your choice, now act good, base out,” Mike said dropping the mic on the table.
Turning to Jimmy, “Jimmy, how many choppers do you need to fly down eight tons of ammo?” Mike asked.
“We could do it with four but I want to take six,” Jimmy replied.
“Get the choppers loaded and I’ll call when to take off,” Mike told him. Jimmy left as Mike turned to the table, “Now, let’s get this clan moving.”
A hundred and sixty miles to the southeast Bruce sat on top of the LAV joining in the killing. Looking at the horde, Bruce just snapped off shots as fast as his finger could pull the trigger when his crosshairs centered a head. With each pull of the trigger he felt a sense of accomplishment.
A supply truck pulled up beside the LAV as the gunner of the LAV handed them bags of empty magazines and the supply truck handed back bags of full magazines. Then the gunner sat down a bag by each member of Omega then climbed back inside the turret.
None of them felt the fear that was experienced with the horde from the farm. They had gone and found this horde. In reality they had actually made it, driving through Baton Rouge blowing shit up. It took Omega just over five hours to wipe out the horde. They had traveled a little more than fifteen miles.
Seeing only a few blues walking over the bodies Bruce keyed his radio, “Okay, let’s stop. One squad each side, take out any you see, everyone else start cleaning weapons.” Seeing his orders being carried out Bruce keyed his radio again. “Base, this is Big Daddy One,” Bruce called out.
“This is Big Daddy Two,” Mike responded.
“Hey can you send us some more ammo? We’re getting a little low,” Bruce asked.
“You have eight tons on the way it should be to you in the next half hour,” Mike told him.
“Damn, that’s service. Hey, how about a milkshake?” Bruce asked as Buffy climbed up beside him.
“Sorry on the milkshake but you know blues from Lafayette are starting towards you” Mike replied.
“Yeah we’ll play with them then head to New Orleans to see who we can play with there. I have to admit the blues make for good playmates,” Bruce replied as Buffy took his SCAR and started cleaning it.
“Well I’m glad you’ve found good playmates but you scared the shit out of Little Red and Little Foot brother,” Mike told him.
Bruce sighed, “Copy, I’ll try to refrain from that in the future,” he said.
“Thank you and please be careful, I’ll try to work on a milkshake,” Mike told him.
“Ah forget the milkshake it would be melted before it got here. Omega out,” Bruce replied looking at Buffy putting his SCAR back together.
Handing it back to Bruce she said, “All done Daddy.”
“Well I still have three more to clean,” Bruce said standing up.
“No, we already cleaned them,” Buffy said smiling.
Bruce smiled at her asking, “BB, did I really scare you?”
The smile fell off Buffy’s face as she looked down. “Yes Daddy, I know you’re big and strong but something could’ve happened. I know we’re fighting them but you’re taking chances you don’t have to. I can’t lose you Daddy,” Buffy told him as tears ran down her cheeks.
Bruce sat down beside her, pulling her close, “Don’t worry BB, I’m the only one that can kill me. I won’t leave you alone and you have your brothers and sisters,” Bruce told her.
“I know I have them but I need my Daddy,” Buffy told him.
“Okay BB, I get the point. When we get back, we’ll all play some basketball,” Bruce told her.
“I don’t know how,” Buffy told him.
“Then I’ll teach you but how about a game of softball,” Bruce told her.
“I suck at it,” Buffy told him.
“I know you played softball. I saw the pictures and equipment, so you can’t suck at it,” Bruce told her.
“I only played two innings a game because that’s what the league required. The coach said I sucked,” Buffy told him.
Bruce jumped up and started yelling, “What the fuck is his name?”
Hearing Bruce yell Conner looked up at Bruce standing on top of the LAV. Seeing he was just pissed off Conner kept cleaning his weapons as he said, “Well, he’s pissed off, I guess we’re attacking Texas now.”
“That could be fun,” Ted replied as Bruce came over the radio.
“Omega, gather up your brass and put it in the empty ammo cans, you have fifteen minutes. We are getting resupplied by air. When they throw off the ammo I want you to put brass on the chopper. After we’re finished I’m leading the team to a sporting goods store, now move it,” Bruce told them.
The group around Danny just looked at her for an explanation. Looking at them Danny said, “Don’t try to understand Daddy, just do what he says. Only he knows what he’s doing and sometimes, I have my doubts about that.”
When the choppers rolled in they dumped off the pallets of ammo as Omega threw ammo boxes full of brass back on. After the ammo was stored, Bruce led the team to a small town raiding the sporting goods store of softball equipment. Then Bruce pulled the team back on the interstate. Bruce spread out the attack vehicles as the horde from Lafayette closed in. Gathering Omega around, Bruce and the team taught Buffy how to play softball.
Back
at base Mike watched as they taught Buffy how to hit. At first Mike had to admit, she sucked but after an hour she was sending the balls down the interstate. When the new horde was ten miles away Bruce called for Omega to mount up and prepare for battle. The horde was smaller but still held over half a million blues.
Once again they slowly pulled away, going slower than a walk, as they gunned them down, in a few hours it was over. Mike watched as Omega pulled into a town and grabbed a fuel truck then headed back to the highway. The semi with the plow plowed a path through the bodies as Omega headed back to Baton Rouge in the east bound lane. The semi fuel truck they grabbed was the last one in the convoy and was spraying the bodies as they moved through the fifteen miles of bodies. They left the bodies in the west bound lane alone.
When the team reached the end they ignited the fuel and Mike watched the fifteen mile funeral pyre burn for ten hours. Watching the body’s burn, Mike felt good then seeing the miles of dead made him want to jump in a vehicle and join Bruce but he stayed. Mike watched Bruce stop the team on the Mississippi River Bridge for the night as Mike went to bed.
Chapter 9
The next day Stephanie was sitting in the Center updating the ammo inventory after lunch. Omega had engaged the blues in New Orleans at 0600 and finished with them before noon. Bruce had pulled the team into New Orleans to the Navy and Marine base, loading up equipment. Mike had sent a convoy to them with more supplies and that convoy was bringing back the equipment Omega had gathered.
Going through the numbers, Stephanie was amazed that Omega had killed over two million blues and only used two and a half million rounds. Joe had told everyone this morning all of Omega’s barrels would have to be replaced and wanted to send them with the relief convoy. Mike agreed and sent them along with thirty more M-4’s.
Updating the records on her computer, Stephanie heard someone walk up to her and looked up. A young man stopped beside her. She knew he was one of the ones just brought in from Arkansas. He was just over six feet and everyone said he looked good but she couldn’t see it. “Can I help you?” Stephanie asked.
The young man smiled, “I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Wade,” he told her.
Stephanie extended her hand, “I’m Stephanie,” she replied.
Wade took her hand and kissed the back of it, “Pleasure to meet you,” he said.
Stephanie pulled her hand back with a shocked expression, “Can I help you?” she asked again.
“Would you like to go for a walk around the property with me?” Wade asked.
“Ah, no, I’m working,” Stephanie told him feeling panic build in her.
“How about tonight we go swimming?” Wade offered.
“Wade, I’m with someone so no,” Stephanie told him.
“Who are you married to?” Wade asked.
“Bruce and Angela, sort of,” Stephanie answered.
“I haven’t met Bruce yet and if he’s married to both of y’all, he shouldn’t mind you going out for fun,” Wade told her.
“Wade, I’m with Bruce so please leave me alone,” Stephanie told him feeling panic grip her.
Seeing Stephanie getting uneasy, Wade pressed his attack. “Tell you what, come out with me tonight and if you don’t have fun, I’ll leave you alone,” Wade offered.
Stephanie stood up closing her laptop and gathering her papers, “No Wade, and leave me alone. I don’t need you, I have Bruce,” Stephanie told him picking up her stuff and leaving.
“I’m going to keep trying,” Wade told her as she walked past him leaving the Center.
When the door closed, Stephanie took off running to the house. Mike, Nancy and Angela were on the patio and saw her running toward the house. They called to Stephanie but she didn’t hear them as she bolted inside.
Seeing the look of panic on Stephanie’s face, the three took off after her. As they ran inside they heard a door slam upstairs. Running upstairs they stopped outside the bedroom. When Mike tried the door he found it was locked so he knocked.
“I mean it, leave me alone or I’m shooting through the door!” Stephanie yelled.
“Stephanie, it’s me Mike,” Mike told her stepping away from the door.
The door flew open and when Stephanie saw Angela, she flew at her wrapping her arms around Angela. “What’s wrong Stephanie?” Angela asked hugging her back, a million things running through her mind.
Before Stephanie could speak, Mike pushed them in the bedroom and sat them down on the bed as Nancy closed the door. Then Mike looked down at Stephanie, “Okay, tell us what’s going on,” he said.
“I was in the Center going over the inventory and Wade came over and started hitting on me. I told him I was with Bruce and Angela but he wouldn’t quit. Bruce is going to hear about it and throw me out now!” Stephanie cried.
Mike looked at Stephanie with a blank expression, trying to follow the logic. Unable to follow it, he shrugged his shoulders. “I really doubt that Stephanie,” Mike told her.
“Oh yeah, I just let some guy hit on me. What if someone else does it? Bruce is going to throw me out, he doesn’t want some tramp. I’m finally part of his life and this happens. I wish Debbie was here, she’d tell Bruce it wasn’t my fault,” Stephanie said falling back on the bed crying.
Mike was fixing to say something as Nancy put her finger on his lips. “Mike, you can leave now, this is girl stuff,” she told him.
“I’m just going to talk to her,” Mike said with Nancy’s finger on his lips.
“I know you are baby but this is girl stuff, you can leave, thank you,” Nancy told him with a tone of dismissal. Mike looked at her with a hurt expression but caught the tone and left. Nancy sat down on one side of Stephanie and Angela sat down on the other side.
“Stephanie, Bruce will never hold you responsible for other people’s actions. You wouldn’t believe how many men hit on Debbie all the time. Bruce never left her, now did he?” Nancy asked her.
“But that was Debbie, not me,” Stephanie said.
Nancy laughed, “That doesn’t matter Stephanie. Angela has men flirting with her all the time and Bruce hasn’t thrown her out,” Nancy informed her.
Shocked, Stephanie looked at Angela, “You didn’t tell me?”
“It doesn’t mean anything Stephanie, unless you let it,” Angela told her.
“I just want them to leave me alone,” Stephanie said.
“Then don’t let it bother you. I’m really surprised that it has taken this long for someone to have the courage to flirt with you,” Nancy pointed out.
“Shit, I’m not surprised. I’m a girl and as pretty as she is, I’m intimidated by her,” Angela told Nancy.
Suddenly Stephanie sat up, “Let’s throw Wade out before Bruce gets back, that way he can’t find out,” she offered.
Nancy smiled, “That wouldn’t really be fair. He was just talking to a beautiful woman and what about the others in the Center?” she asked.
“Make them leave to or promise never to speak about it?” Stephanie asked hopefully.
“Trying to hide it would be wrong Stephanie,” Nancy told her.
“I’m screwed!” Stephanie wailed falling back on the bed crying.
Angela turned Stephanie’s face toward her, “Stephanie, I can already tell you Bruce will laugh about it. Now if Wade tries anything else, Bruce will probably kill him. We are Bruce’s and Bruce is ours. What about the women who hit on Bruce?” she asked.
“What women?” Stephanie asked sitting up suddenly.
“The several hundred I’ve seen flirt with him. I can tell you when they think his mourning is over it will get real bad,” Angela told her.
“Where the hell was I at?” Stephanie asked.
“Stephanie, you can’t honestly believe that the women here haven’t flirted with Bruce,” Angela said.
“Well, he’s with us,” Stephanie said.
Angela shook her head, “Stephanie, just because you wouldn’t go after a married man, don’t think others won’
t. Just remember it takes two to tango. They can’t have Bruce unless he lets them, just like they can’t have you unless you let them,” Angela told her.
“Let’s make them leave too,” Stephanie demanded.
Nancy started laughing, “Stephanie, you act just like a teenage girl. Mike has women hitting on him all the time but I don’t care and men hit on me all the time and he doesn’t care. We love each other and that is all that matters. Now do you really think that Bruce would throw you out because someone flirted with you?” she asked.
“No, but it might hurt his feelings,” Stephanie admitted.
The smile fell off Nancy’s face as she shook her head and said, “Debbie was right, you have it bad.”
Angela looked up at Nancy, “You have no idea.”
“Have what?” Stephanie asked.
“We’ll tell you when you’re older,” Nancy said.
“I’m older than Angela,” Stephanie protested.
“Only in years, now wipe your face off, you’re splotchy. I’ll talk to Wade tonight,” Nancy said.
“Oh no you won’t, that’s my job,” Angela challenged.
Nancy looked up at Angela, “Please let me do it.”
“No, Stephanie is my wife first,” Angela told her. Nancy just gave up.
That night at supper little Angela walked over to the table where Wade was sitting with some other guys. Angela had to admit he was cute as she stopped on the opposite side of the table across from him. Looking up Wade saw her, “So Stephanie doesn’t want to go out with me, but you do?” he asked smiling.
With that tone Angela immediately didn’t like him. “No, you’re so not my type,” Angela told him.
“Well how do you know what type I am unless you find out?” Wade asked grinning.
“I like real men, not fake ones,” Angela said which got several smirks from Wade’s friends.
Wade stopped grinning looking at Angela, “You’re playing a dangerous game woman.”
“Not really, I’m just here to ask you not to talk to Stephanie anymore. You hurt her feelings,” Angela said.
“I can talk to whomever I want,” Wade told her.
Angela pulled the knife off her vest and slammed it into the table as Wade scooted his seat back. Before Wade could do anything else Angela had pulled out her pistol and was aiming it between Wade’s eyes. “If you twitch, you’re dead. Understand?” Angela asked him.
Blue Plague: Rage Page 8