Surviving The Black (Book 4): Betrayal From Within

by Finley, Zack

  "I'm not offering, mind you," Mandy said. "But maybe you should take them around to visit those barely getting by here in Huntsville."

  "I considered that, but we should just cut them off. If they are this dumb, I doubt they will ever get over it. You can't cure stupid," I said.

  "Yeah, but stupid people can be dangerous," Phil said. "They may not know many Valley secrets, but they pose more of a threat than I'm comfortable with."

  A small group of Valley hardliners might want to turn them into compost, but most would be willing to just let them leave.

  "I'm not sure how the council will vote, but I think they will leave a lot of the details to the sponsors. The sponsors know what their people agreed to and who lived up to the pact," I said.

  "Yeah, the sponsors will likely add a lot to tonight's meeting. Along with a cautionary tale for sponsors of the new Arkansas bunch applying to get in," Phil said.

  "At least the new group knows life is brutal everywhere," I said. "That brings me to a request for Steve and Mandy. Did you come up with a Justice charter?"

  "Yeah," Steve said, dragging the word out, nearly turning it into a question.

  "Mom wants a copy," I said. "We've agreed we need something more formal to ensure anyone applying for asylum in the Valley knows what we expect. I mentioned your charter and the folks thought that might be a good start."

  "I'll give you the document on a flash drive and print off a few as well," Mandy said.

  "Okay, what needs to be finished to wrap up this phase of Justice security?" I asked, shifting the focus. "Joe and Billy want to move to Justice. Not sure what Ellie wants."

  Phil estimated Gamma needed another two days to clear the trees back the required 100 feet from the building. One hundred feet was the minimum distance everyone agreed to during the initial security review. I saw no reason to change the parameters.

  Steve and his technicians rewired the jail so someone in the radio room or the control center could lock and unlock the exterior doors. The electricians disconnected the door actuators, so they no longer opened or closed remotely. They disabled all interior locks leaving only the exterior locks and some sally ports functioning. The next phase would install override switches to lock or unlock the exterior doors from inside the jail.

  "The surveillance is good for the building perimeter, the main entrance, and its sally port, as you saw earlier," Steve teased. "We could go live today if needed. We are still working out ways to make the monitoring easier on the radio operator. We need a full-time security watch until then. We relocated some of the football field lights from the high school to light up the outside. It takes them several minutes to brighten up, and they are huge power hogs. We will only turn them on in an emergency."

  "You've made a lot of progress," I said. "How many at Justice, besides Gamma, can stand a watch?"

  "Fifteen," Steve said, with both Phil and Mandy agreeing.

  "What are the defensive needs here?" I asked, looking to Phil.

  Steve started to answer but snapped shut after a glare from Mandy.

  "We need at least one guard making rounds on the roof 24-7," Phil answered. "They need NVGs at night. Steve wants more infrared trail cameras, but there are too many competing priorities for the few remaining. Until we feel more confident about our remotely operated stuff, we need people. With someone on the roof and someone monitoring the cameras, we should see any attack in time to get everyone moving."

  "That sounds doable," I said. "What happens if they spot intruders?"

  "Our initial emergency plan ensures the kids and noncombatives are safe and denies access to the building until help arrives," Phil said. "All vulnerables retreat to the interior of the jail, and we electronically lock the exterior doors. Fireteam One confirms their safety and then verifies all doors are closed and locked. Fireteam Two covers the main entrance, with orders to fall back to support the radio room if attacked in force. Everyone else with a weapon moves to the roof."

  "Any concerns with that plan?" I asked Mandy and Steve.

  "Still too many moving parts," Mandy said. "And while Steve is happy with the tech elements, I want a solid balance between people and widgets. The good news is we see no viable threat around the area; another Lloyd Mountain Militia would worry me a lot. Without that level of risk, we can work through this stuff. Even Oneida has too many problems of its own to screw with us. I'm more worried about protecting our farms from serious pilferage. Unlike the Valley, we are out in the open. I don't want to plant crops just for some lowlife to rip them off or worse yet, vandalize them."

  Valley leadership expected Justice to become fully self-sufficient. Mandy needed to adjust population plans to match the amount of food they could produce and protect. Or, we needed to change our expectations for Justice.

  We opted to hold at least one drill at Justice to test the response plan before certifying it ready. How quickly the Valley could send a solid cadre of reinforcements, night or day was another unknown. I doubted we would ever stop improving security, but I liked Mandy's attitude. Relying too much on technology still felt dangerous after the CME. Not because I expected another once in a millennia event, more because it revealed how vulnerable we became when things went wrong.

  Mandy promised me a copy of their charter as she and Steve returned to their duties.

  Phil confirmed he and Roger spent their time on security and encouraged Zeke to run Beta and Gamma.

  Phil heartily endorsed the schools as our next priority for salvage.

  "Computers should be your first target," Phil said. "In an EMP, most of the computers would fry. We erroneously based the post-CME response plan on that EMP scenario. Computers are basically unaffected by a CME. I believe that is a major oversight in the Plan. Computers can help our kids pull themselves out of this mess sooner than we guess. We need to preserve them, and their parts, to use them as much as possible.

  "Every group in the Valley wants another computer for some project or another. Hell, Steve is using nearly all those he found at Justice for tasks in the radio and control rooms. Long term, we will generate some electricity, whether solar, wind, water, or coal. So, there is no reason to give up computers," said Phil.

  "You make a good point. I came back from our ride on the Mississippi River with a strong desire to build some waterwheels in the Mecklin River to generate electricity. If we apply resources to it, we can wean ourselves off generators before this winter. Not sure I want all the new electricity used to power computers, though," I said.

  "I think Steve is an extremist, and I'm glad Mandy pushes him hard the other way, but he has a point. Computer parts have not been a priority, but I think they should be. I remember the tech school even had a computer repair lab that may be a long-term gold mine. We need to sic some of Steve's techies on setting up a Valley computer infrastructure for the next generation. Teach the kids how to mix and match parts to preserve the basics," Phil said.

  From the mouths of plumbers. I guess I blindly bought into the assumption that relying on computers was folly since they would wear out within 5 years. Phil was right, we probably had enough computer bits and pieces in Mecklin County to keep things going a lot longer than that. But only if we started salvaging now. Something to discuss with Steve and my mom. Both were more technical than me. We should start saving old car batteries, too. And electronic components.

  "The next targets for the Defenders are people," Phil said, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "People with needed skills scattered all over the county. We want to find and recruit them to move to Justice or the Valley. Dr. Jerrod provided a list of doctors and medical people she recommends. George is still looking for a vet. None of the vets from Huntsville stuck around, so his new target is the Oneida area. That zone is lawless compared to here, but getting another doctor and a vet for us would be worth the risk."

  "Who are the rest of these people?" I asked, staring at the printout of people and addresses.

  "Lower priority, but
I took a poll and identified sponsors for these people if we can find them. Some are butchers, hunters, one farrier, welders, carpenters, and plumbers," Phil grinned. "Most of us are getting a little long-in-the-tooth. I asked them to recommend younger people with solid skills. Plus, good character and work ethic, of course. I'm a damn fine plumber, but I'm too old to crawl around under buildings every day. That was why I retired. I don't mind training new people, but mostly only old farts like me live in the Valley plus a few babies, college kids, and middle-aged folks like you."

  Phil understood our demographics. I might resent the tag of middle-age, but it fit. Recruiting made sense to me, something to bring up either tonight or at a future council meeting. Targeted outreach was straight out of The Plan. We anticipated expanding the Valley population that way. Rather than by recruiting neighborhoods because we felt sorry for them.

  The Arkansas group felt too much like neighborhood recruitment. As a crew, they exhibited many of the traits we admired, but how well did we know them individually? Having a charter and demonstrating we would enforce it might become increasingly important.

  "Anything else?" I asked.

  "Mandy is worried because we aren't signing up new participants in the Huntsville community network. She's been working on George to cough up about 100 chicks to hand out to them, hoping to provide incentive for new people to join up. The problem, other than George being George, is it falls on the Defenders to deliver the little beasts. The current plan is to start delivering sometime this month. I voted for next month since it allows us to distribute the seed packets at the same time, but no one seems to care about that."

  "Why not let them come pick the chicks up at Justice?" I asked.

  "Mandy doesn't want to encourage people to come here." He raised his hand as I started to react. "It is weird. First, she invites them to pick up supplies, but then worries they may come and conclude we are vulnerable to attack. And, she is really worried about securing the crops. If it was up to her, building a 10-foot-tall barbed wire fence topped with a coil of concertina wire would be our first priority. She knows we don't have that kind of fencing, but I can't blame her for wanting it. Compared to the Valley, Justice is very exposed, from all sides," said Phil. "Schedule the deliveries with her. You should decide if it is better to tell people you are coming or arrive unannounced."

  "What would you do?" I asked.

  "Let them know less than 10 minutes out. That way, they don't shoot, but there is no time to set up an ambush either," Phil said.

  "Do they even keep their radios on?" I asked.

  "Most started keeping them on in the daytime after Steve gave them solar chargers. It doesn't mean someone is listening, though. Noon is still the normal contact time, so it is a good bet."

  "I noticed we re-instated the guards at Bravo, did something bad happen?"

  "A compromise. Mandy made a lot of sense about relying too much on electronics. It may be overkill, but my gut tells me to leave it for now. Pull them once we need the manpower for planting if you want."

  I sent Phil back to his plumbing. Mandy now scheduled all the guard duty shifts at Justice. She and my mom used the new phone between Justice and the Valley several times each day to coordinate assignments. I didn't want to get in the middle of that.

  Matt and Phil would work up a series of drills and finalize the near-term security plans with Steve and Mandy. Setting up balanced fire teams for Defender duties came next. We would restart our Defender outreach once Gamma finished clearing the woods around Justice.

  I drifted back to Mandy's office. She pounded away on her keyboard but stopped when I came in.

  "You know the council will send some of the malcontents here," Mandy blurted out.

  "You may already have some of them," I said. "Some are just more vocal than others."

  "I don't think so," Mandy said. Her voice suggested she might not be that sure.

  "You may be right; I doubt they could work alongside the deputies or your residents from Oneida and maintain rosy views of life outside the Valley. Delivering your chicks could be another way to open a few eyes," I said.

  "Hunh?"

  "I planned to assign two-man Gamma/Beta squads to make the deliveries. I'll still do that, but we may include a couple of malcontents on each trip. Some people might learn from it. If they don't, they aren't worth keeping," I said.

  "Jeremy, you are becoming more devious every day. Give you another 50 years, and you'll give Aaron a run for his money," Mandy said.

  "Booting all the ungrateful bums out is what I want to do," I said. "But Mom says that is too short-sighted."

  "I didn't say you would ever be in Claire's league," she said. "I suspect your Y chromosome is too much of a handicap. Although Pops and Claire were two peas in a pod."

  Mandy encouraged me to visit Jerry Hill again. He declined to participate in our community outreach. She spoke with him a few times on the radio, but he remained aloof. He had the potential to be a solid ally, but the way the sheriff's department turned on the community kept him wary. At least Mandy hoped that was the reason.

  Hill was an elder in the Mormon church. By custom, Mormons were well-positioned to survive the crash. Connecting with that group might be an important long-term step forward for the Valley. I understood Hill's desire to maintain a low profile. Mormons stockpiled a year's supply of food for each person as part of their faith. That type of stockpile would make an irresistible target for some in today's climate. Especially anyone who thought men of faith were helpless. I knew Hill's people could defend themselves, but avoiding attention remained a smarter alternative.

  I stopped to talk with the Gammas and ended up loading logs with the team. Everyone felt sad about Razor. The handful who missed the memorial due to work assignments came by to offer condolences. Everyone wanted to wrap up the logging and get back out on community outreach.

  I dropped off the Justice charter at my mom's office but didn’t linger. While rushed, she concurred with Phil's computer assessment. She didn’t want to discuss the malcontents until after tonight’s meeting. I didn't get the bum's rush from her, but close.

  Even the armory was deserted, so I drifted to the hut assigned to the Arkansas refugees. Gone was the vibrancy and bustle that normally characterized this group. No one acted like they reached the promised land. It felt like an old TV show where the contestants opened door number two and received the booby prize. Except much worse.

  Dr. Jerrod was right, these people forgot how to handle downtime. I recognized the symptoms of PTSD. After living in danger for months, being in a safe place felt wrong.

  Juanita rocked in a chair near the woodstove. Some sat in chairs next to it, others lay on their bunks. No one spoke, although several raised their hands to greet me.

  Word of my visit got to Grady somehow because he ducked out from behind some drapes within minutes of my arrival. He came forward and shook my hand. "I'm told you built this structure," he said.

  "Not by myself, with a lot of help."

  "Everyone is a bit nervous," he said, indicating I should sit on a bunk next to him. "It is much too big for our group."

  "I told those in charge of housing you needed to stay together. This just happened to be the best place for that. My people worried you might be too crowded," I said.

  "The kids just mope around; they are quite anxious about Andy's youngsters. I hope Jules can bring them for a visit soon?" Grady asked.

  "I wouldn't count on it, Andy's mom is having a hard time right now, and those kids aren't leaving her sight," I said.

  "She should bring them by," Grady said, "they miss their friends, too."

  "I'll send word to Jules. Right now, I'm not very welcome in the Carlton home," I sighed.

  "Why the hell not?" Grady asked.

  "It's complicated," I said.

  "Not sure what is complicated. Bizarre, maybe, but I can't imagine how Andy's family could blame you or your team for anything."

  "Please drop it. What
else is happening with your people?"

  "Dr. Jerrod is scheduled to operate on Jamie's shoulder tomorrow, and she is sending Sean back after supper," Grady said.

  "Sean?" I asked.

  "My wounded man. The doctor wants to keep pumping him up with an IV, or he would be back already. Lois is already busy at the hospital, and I haven't seen Jules since we got here except last night at the memorial," Grady said.

  "Has Dr. Jerrod finished with your physicals?" I asked.

  "Most of us, a few guys are still in her waiting room. I'm worried about these tokens," he said, lowering his voice.

  "They just tell the serving staff to give you a double meal," I said.

  He lowered his voice even more, "some a lot worse off than my soldiers didn't get them."

  "Use them with confidence," I said. "We are all learning new things. Once starvation progresses so far, too much food can cause more harm than eating less. While counter-intuitive, I'm not arguing with Dr. Jerrod about it. I suggest you not waste your time arguing either. I'm sure she explained it to anyone in that position. She might even put them on a reduction diet because our normal fare may be too rich for them. We didn't have much time for her to brief Tom on these subtleties before we left for Helena. He's worried we might have set some of your people back by letting them eat too much on the trip."