by Robert Boren
“Briefly, yes,” Ivan said. “The Federal Government has very detailed data on all of us, and bad elements shared it with certain people. They didn’t have data to share on civilian team members.”
“They know where Dodge City is,” Garrett said.
“True, but we’re pretty sure they don’t consider you a threat going forward. They very much consider anybody in the community or connected to the community to be a threat.”
“Not sure I’m happy with the pretty sure comment,” Anna said. “We’ll have to watch our back for the rest of our lives, I suspect.”
“Only if they win, and I don’t think they will. We’ll be getting some help from others who are also on the target list. People working with General Hogan’s team.”
There was a rap on the door. Garrett got up and opened it. Sam was there.
“Sorry, people are arriving. Thought I’d better say something.”
“Thanks, Sam, I think we’re about done,” Ivan said.
Sam left, closing the door behind him.
“Do you understand?” Ivan asked.
“Don’t like it, but yes,” Garrett said.
“Yes,” Anna said.
“Thank you, and thanks for letting us use your home.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Garrett said. “If it looks like we are in danger, you’ll tell us, right?”
“Of course,” Ivan said. He got up, shook hands with both of them, and went out the door, Anna and Garrett following them.
“Erica, why don’t you let Garrett and I watch Mia during the meeting,” Anna said.
“That would be helpful, thanks,” Erica said.
“Yeah, thank you,” Sam said.
Erica motioned Mia over to her. “Go with Uncle Garrett and Aunt Anna, okay honey?”
“You aren’t leaving again, are you?” she asked, looking at both of them.
“No, honey, it’s just a meeting,” Sam said. “We’ll be done pretty soon, and it’s here in the house.”
“Want to help me feed the chickens?” Anna asked.
“Yes!” Mia said, her face lighting up.
They went out through the kitchen.
Sam opened the door, watching as the others drove up in a couple of the Jeeps. He motioned for them to park around the far side of the house. They were walking onto the porch a moment later.
“We can use the parlor,” Sam said, nodding at the large room left of the entry way.
“Hey, partner,” Tex said as he walked in with Karen. Robbie and Morgan followed, then Ted and Haley, Sparky and Dana, and Cody and Allison.
“Have a seat, everybody,” Ivan said. He pulled his chair closer to the coffee table and pulled out his phone, hitting the contact for Mr. White. When it connected, he hit the speaker button and set the phone down.
“Do you guys hear me?” Ivan asked.
“Yes, boss, we hear fine.”
“You’re both there?”
“Yes.”
Ivan leaned back in his chair for a moment, clearing his thoughts, and then started.
“I was contacted by General Hogan while the last operation was going. You all know that the main part of this conflict is nearly over, do you not?”
“Yes, do,” Jules said.
Most of the others nodded in agreement, all of them looking nervous.
“What’s this about, partner?” Tex asked.
“General Hogan relayed intelligence about the post-war situation that is brewing.”
“I expected that,” Ted said.
“They’re going to hunt us down and kill us, aren’t they?” Shelly asked, wishing she could take it back when it slipped out. “Sorry.”
Ivan looked her in the eye. “Don’t be sorry, that’s very perceptive. I’d say it a little differently, though. They’re gonna try to hunt us down and kill us. We’re gonna turn the tables and kill them first.”
There was silence for a moment, nobody knowing what to say.
“Why just us?” Karen asked.
“Maybe I’d better back up a little bit,” Ivan said. “This war was not about Islamists and Venezuelans, or about the militia, or North Korea. It wasn’t just focused on the United States, either. This was a world-wide attempt to create a one-world governing body, and to do away with national sovereignty in all its forms. It was an attempted coup and globalist revolution on a worldwide scale, but things didn’t go as planned.”
Ted leaned back in his seat for a moment. “I’ve always known that to be the case in the back of my mind. I suspect all of us have had that concept in our minds to at least some degree.”
“I have,” Robbie said.
“Yep, partner, me too.”
“Same,” Cody said, “but never thought they’d get close. I think I was wrong about that.”
Ivan began again. “California was supposed to be the bulwark of this attempted globalist takeover in the United States. The people who are really running California have been working this project since the early 1970s.”
“Wait, I’m still not getting this,” Karen said. “Why just us? The entire team worked to defeat the enemy in this war.”
“The Federal Government got corrupted, as we all know,” Ivan said. “They shared data on certain members of our team with the Globalist leadership at the highest levels. They know enough about us to pursue us to the death.”
“We weren’t all in the community,” Sam said.
“This is true,” Ivan said. “General Hogan listed all of you by name based on the intel he’s gathered. Sam, Ted, Cody, Tex, and Sparky have all been directly in the community.”
“What’s the community?” Karen asked, looking more and more agitated.
“Special Forces arms of the US Military. CIA, NSA, FBI, and other Federal Agencies.”
“I don’t fit into that,” Robbie said. “And neither do you, Jules, nor Mr. White and Mr. Black.”
“You know why you’re included,” Ivan said.
“Your father,” Morgan said in a hushed tone.
“Precisely,” Ivan said. “Jules, Mr. Black, Mr. White, and I were basically underworld characters, and there is a great deal of crossover between the underworld and the government.”
Jules chuckled. “I doubt they care about underworld past, other than connections and personalities. You and I make list because we destroyed their shining jewel.”
“Yes, California, their giant globalist laboratory,” Ivan said. “Let’s not forget that both of us have been involved in other anti-globalist operations, starting way back when we were both in the underworld.”
Morgan laughed. “You guys are like Rick in Casablanca.”
Ted laughed out loud. “You know, that’s pretty accurate. Running guns to resistance movements got Ivan booted from Russia, as I remember. Jules was involved in some of that as well.”
Ivan grinned. “Yes, I’ve been a terrible nuisance.”
“We’ve made the list because our men are part of it,” Haley said.
“Sorry, honey,” Ted said. “This is turning out worse than I expected. I thought we could disappear into the woodwork and not be bothered after the war. If I’d known how bad it would be, I wouldn’t have gotten you involved.”
“Stop that right now,” Haley said, looking at him with tears in her eyes. “What we’re doing is right, and besides that, we tried to resist each other. You know that wasn’t working.”
“And I feel the same way,” Karen said, looking at Tex, “so don’t go there. I’m proud to be with you, and I’m proud of what we’ve done. If it gets us killed, so be it.”
Tex pulled her close, kissing her forehead.
“My mom and dad,” Robbie said, his brow furrowed.
“Yes, your mom and dad,” Ivan said. “They’ve probably got the biggest target on their backs of all.”
“Who else on General Hogan’s team, partner?” Tex asked.
“This doesn’t leave the room,” Ivan said with a stern look on his face.
“Of course,�
� Tex said. “We all agree with that, right?”
The others nodded or said yes.
Ivan nodded. “George Franklin and Malcolm Davis, Ned and Dick Branson. There’s more, having a hard time remembering all the names.”
“Don’t know Malcolm Davis other than what I’ve read about him,” Ted said, “but I know the others. Anybody who wants to tangle with those folks ought to have their heads examined. Especially George Franklin.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen that guy on a rampage before,” Cody said. “He’s scary as hell.”
“Oh, I remember a few more,” Ivan said. “An FBI agent, last name Williams, can’t remember the first name, and an LAPD associate of Malcolm Davis named Ted Crowley. One other man named Jerry, but I don’t remember his last name. Oh, and General Hogan himself, and his son.”
“We’ll be joining forces with them, I hope,” Ted said. “I’d love to see my old friends again.”
“General Hogan is suggesting that,” Ivan said. “Nothing will be starting until this war appears to be over. I’m sorry to have to break this to you. Thought it would be best to let you know now. If any of you don’t want to be involved, and I won’t blame you, it’d be best to start planning an escape now.”
“To where, Fairbanks, Alaska?” Tex quipped. “No way, partner. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
“We can look at putting the women into witness protection during the operation,” Ivan said.
“Absolutely not,” Morgan said.
“Yeah, no way,” Shelly said.
Haley, Karen, Dana, and Allison nodded in agreement.
“What’s next, then?” Ted asked, “other than thinking about this.”
“Boss, should we discuss Sacramento operation?” Mr. Black asked.
“We should, but I’m expecting to find that our quarry is not there after all. I want you guys to go there and check around, but my hopes are not high.”
“What are you talking about?” Ted asked.
“Remember the communique about the missing WTO delegation?” Ivan asked.
Tex laughed. “Oh, yeah, the EU and the UN said the gloves were gonna come off because of that. Saw it on social media.”
“Members of the WTO delegation were instrumental in getting this war started,” Ivan said. “They’ve also been exposed in the EU. Don’t think the EU sent them over here. We think the WTO delegation fled the EU before getting themselves arrested or killed.”
Ted chuckled. “That’s sweet.”
“There’s more,” Ivan said. “General Hogan is pretty sure that Daan Mertins is with that delegation.”
“No shit,” Cody said.
“So if they’re really in Sacramento, we’re gonna go get them?” Karen asked.
“Maybe,” Ivan said. “Not all of you, though.”
“We have commando team, boss,” Mr. White said. “Enough for those pansy-ass cretins, no?”
Jules snickered. “I know those guys. They piss themselves if they see anyone in this room. They don’t fight. They trick others into spilling blood, never do themselves.”
“Where you think they are, boss?” Mr. Black asked.
“If they’re still alive, they’re probably at the enemy base in Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.”
“If they dead, probably Daan Mertins did it,” Mr. White said.
“Good chance,” Mr. Black said.
“So some of us might be involved if they are still there, then,” Sam said. “We’ll keep that in mind. What else should we focus on at this point?”
“We have to keep an eye on that armada,” Ivan said. “If they manage to beat the Marines and citizens to the Baja coast, they might fan out wide and try to cross the border into California in a number of spots. If that happens, it’ll be all hands on deck. Oh, and forgot to mention this. Kaitlyn told me there are semis heading north along the Baja coast, on Highway 1D.”
“Lovely,” Karen said.
“Shit, wonder if they’re bringing men or weapons?” Cody asked.
“Might be both,” Robbie said. “I saw that too. It was on a satellite picture that was a few hours old. We don’t have a drone over that area. Maybe we should see about getting one placed there.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Ivan said.
“What about the Carlsbad Canyon operation?” Ted asked. “Should we help?”
“No way, we need to stay here,” Jules said.
Ivan nodded in agreement. “Jules is right about that. General Hogan hasn’t asked for help. He’s got a great team. We’ll let him handle it unless he asks for help, and I don’t see that happening.”
“Anything else?” Erica asked.
“I think we’re done,” Ivan said, “unless there are questions.”
“We go, boss,” Mr. White said.
“No problem, thanks for joining. I’ll call you in a couple hours.”
***
“We’re getting too far in front of the infantry,” Sessions said from the back of the BFV.
“Can’t slow down,” Gonzalez said. “They’re trying to patch that hole in the road up with dirt so we can roll the semis over it, but it’s not going fast enough.”
“Maybe we ought to bring in C-17s to move them out,” Doug said. “They carry over a hundred men.”
“More if they don’t have a lot of equipment,” Jenkins said, “but I’m not sure if this lousy highway is wide enough.”
“They were gonna stop in Tecate to get more ammo and food,” Gonzalez said. “Of course we could probably bring some of that with us. I’ll send a message to the CO about it, but if the idea has any merit, I’m sure everybody and their brother has already brought it up.”
“How far is Tecate, anyway?” Jorge asked. “Creeping along at 35 mph on the pavement is slow going.”
“Yeah, and the L-ATVs are way ahead of us,” Doug said. “Those suckers can go 70 mph on the highway.”
“The L-ATVs will be done with re-supply before we get there,” Gonzalez said. “Some of them are already at the Tecate depot.”
“Yeah, we’d be dead last if the semis weren’t stuck,” Jorge quipped.
Gonzalez’s phone dinged, so he looked at the message. “It’s the CO. We’re seeing semis coming north on Highway 1D.”
“Where’s that?” Sessions asked.
“It’s the coastal route north on the western side of Baja,” Jenkins said. “That’s not a good development, unless it’s our guys.”
“No indication that it’s ours,” Gonzalez said. He typed a reply. “I just brought up the C-17 question.”
“Hope he doesn’t call you a moron,” Jenkins said.
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” His phone dinged.
“Well? Moron or not?” Sessions asked.
“Shut up, man,” Gonzalez said as he read the message. “That was discussed, but the road is too narrow and the shoulder too soft. They had another idea, though.”
“What’s that?”
“They rented a bunch of semis in Tecate, and they’re running them eastbound on this road. They’ll pick up the infantry on the other side of the craters. It’s not gonna be easy, though.”
“Why not?” Jorge asked.
“They have to back up for almost a mile before they can turn around. The enemy hit that road in exactly the right place. Smart move on their part.”
“Shit,” Sessions said. “Why isn’t the infantry marching in that direction?”
“They are, or the backup would be nearly five miles. The CO says they optimized the location as best they could. They could march the infantry that last mile, but it’ll cost them too much time. The brass is worried about the men from the armada dispersing on their way to the border. They’re getting really close.”
“They’re right to worry about that,” Jenkins said.
“Yep, this is liable to be the most dangerous part of this campaign,” Gonzalez said.
{ 15 }
Sport Fishers
I van and t
he others left Garrett’s ranch house, leaving Sam and Erica sitting in the parlor, both feeling numb.
“What should we do?” Erica asked.
“My first instinct is to take Mia and disappear. That’s probably the wrong way to go, though.”
“Why?” Erica asked.
“I know who Ivan is talking about, and they’ve got resources and reach. They’ll find us. It’s only a matter of time. If they find us when we’re on our own, they’ll kill all three of us.”
“Oh, God.”
“Yeah,” Sam said, getting off the sofa. “At least we have some time to think it through.”
“It might take years to hunt down all these folks and end it. Hell, we might have an un-ending flow of people trying to nail us, too.”
“We can’t just target their fighters. We have to target the leaders themselves.”
“I figured. How hard is that going to be?”
“They’re ultra-rich folks, for the most part. The kind that pays top dollar for security forces and secure locations. This will be like trying to kill a sitting chief-of-state.”
“Did you expect this?” she asked, looking Sam in the eyes.
He sighed. “No, not really. Should have, I guess. Not that we had any choice in joining the battle. They killed most of my friends and all the residents of the RV park.”
“They even killed your wife,” Erica said softly. “They killed most of my tribe, too. We had no choice. It is what it is, but we’ll have to give our situation some serious thought.”
“On the good side, with the people we have and the people coming from General Hogan’s team, we’ve got a better than even chance of winning.”
Garrett came into the parlor. “Good, the meeting is over.” He froze when he saw their faces. “Dammit, that must have been bad.”
“It was,” Sam said.
“Anything I can do?”
Sam shrugged. “Stay clear and hope they don’t decide to come after everybody involved in the California fight. Hopefully they don’t know enough to target most of the group.”
“They’re really stupid,” Erica said.
“Why do you say that?” Sam asked.
“They still don’t understand that it was the citizens that beat them, not a handful of special forces types. If they try to take over, they’ll be right back in a war, and they’ll lose again.”