by Liscom, Sean
“Absolutely!”
“Okay, the other thing I think we should do is head into town first thing in the morning and do some shopping from the Majors weapons stash. He offered us those tripod mounted 40mm grenade launchers and the stash of M72 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) rocket launchers that he found. I think it's time to take him up on that offer.”
“Good thinking, Jason. We should get a few more…..”
“Hold on one damn minute!” Braden interrupted. “I think you’re overreacting! We need to concentrate all of our people here instead of spreading them all over hell’s half acre…..”
“Dammit Braden!” I said loudly. “We will be concentrating our people here, but we can’t do it blind! These bastards hit fast and they hit fucking hard! If we want to survive, we need to see them coming!”
“Grenade launchers? Rocket launchers? Seriously?” he asked, softening his tone a little.
“Yes, seriously. The night Marvin and his men attacked the ranch, we had 30 seconds, if that, of warning. The only reason, and I DO mean the only reason, that we were able to beat them back was because of our training and our discipline. If I can
squeak out even three minutes of warning and if I can have some nasty fucking surprises waiting, you bet your ass we’re doing it!”
I took a deep breath before I began again. It helped to calm my temper that was starting to get the better of me. “Braden, listen to me for a minute, please. First, I apologize for raising my voice. That wasn’t necessary. Second, don’t take any offense because this is going to come out a lot harsher than I intend it to….” I took another deep breath. “You weren’t here the night the ranch was attacked. Just as I wasn’t in the FEMA camp with you. The one thing that we have in common is that we have both been witness to the brutality that man can commit on his fellow man, right?”
“Yes,” was his answer.
“I lost five of my people that night. Five people that wanted nothing more than to live in peace, here at the ranch. Hell, I died that night. By all rights, I shouldn’t even be sitting here right now. Why did that happen? Why are five good people dead? They are dead because someone just couldn’t stand what we had here. He just couldn’t let go of the hate and the need for vengeance. Out there,” I said pointing my finger out the dining room window. “Someone is
attacking and destroying, no, annihilating entire communities. For all I know, we could be next. What I do know is that if they want to come after us, I’m going to make them pay for every square inch of ground with their own blood,” I finished.
Braden leaned back in his chair, never breaking eye contact. He crossed his arms and just stared at me for the longest time. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Megan and Jill exchanging glances. I think both of them were worried that this might escalate. Dan was watching both of us like a big cat. I’m sure he was trying to figure out which one of us he was going to have to pounce on first.
“If you are going to go as far as picking up some new toys, you might as well get enough C4 to make IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices). You could have the OP’s (Observation Posts) use them to slow their advance. If anything, it will give them something to think about before they ever make it close to us,” he finally said. I could visibly see everyone around the table relax a little.
Monday, August 14th, 2017
Jill had me up and moving at 5am that morning. Doc was supposed to be at the house at six to give me a checkup and hopefully release me back to light duty. I had been feeling better and better every day but the last couple of days had shown the most improvement. I
hadn't had one dizzy spell in the last four days and I hadn't had my arm in the sling for a week now.
Doc was going to be mad for sure, but I had Jill remove the stitches from my scalp the night before. The wound was healing nicely and no longer had a scab on it. It was just a pink scar now. All of the rest of the
cuts I had gotten from the wreck were healed up and even some of the bruises were fading away.
I was really looking forward to going to Elko this morning. I hadn’t been anywhere or done anything since being blown up. If I were stuck in this house much longer, I was sure to go stir crazy. As Jill and I waited for the Doc to arrive, I laid out all of my gear on the kitchen table. I went through everything and made sure it was where it needed to be. I checked all eight magazines for my rifle, they were full. All six magazines for my handgun were filled to capacity. Medical kit, or IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) was up to snuff. Hydration pouch, check. Knife, check, and so on. I was going over everything a second time when Doc came through the door. His daughter, the other Doc Williams was with him.
“What did I tell you, Sam? He just assumes that I’m going to cut him loose today!” he said with a smile. He stopped short and looked over all of the gear on the table. “Going somewhere?” he asked me.
“Kinda hoping so, Doc.” I replied.
“We shall see about that. Sit,” he ordered. I pulled out one of the chairs and did as instructed. As soon as he stepped behind me, his hand went to the scar on my head. “You do this?”
“I had Jill take them out last night. They were bugging the hell out of me,” I replied.
“I see,” was all he said. He continued his physical examination for the next 15 minutes. When he was done, he took the file that Samantha had been holding
and put it on the table. He opened it and began writing. Jill was looking over his shoulder, reading as he was writing. A smile started at the corners of her mouth and then she started to giggle a little.
“What’s so funny?” I asked. She reached over Doc’s shoulder and removed a Polaroid picture from the file. She held it up for me to see.
“Your hair was still black in this photo.”
“Now I have none!” I said, rubbing the stubble on my head.
“No, not that, there was a lot of gray up there before we shaved it all off,” Doc said without even looking up. That got a giggle out of both Samantha and Jill.
“Oh, whatever,” I grumbled. “What’s the word Doc? Can I get back to work?”
“Yes, but I want you to take it easy for the first few days. Ease yourself back into it,” he said, closing the file and handing it to his daughter. “If you have any vertigo, come see me immediately.”
“Thank you Doc. If I have any problems, I’ll come see you, promise.”
“Yeah, well, just take it easy for a few days. I don’t need you getting all banged up again,” he said, motioning Sam for the door. “And you, keep him out of trouble,” his finger was pointing at Jill.
“Yes, sir,” she replied. He and Sam made their way out of the front door leaving Jill and me alone again. Jill stepped in front of me and put her arms around me. Her face was inches from mine.
“You ready to get back in the saddle?” she asked.
“More than ready, babe. If I had to sit on my ass for another day, I’d lose my mind,” I told her.
“I need you to promise me one thing, Jason Sterling,” she paused, the seriousness in those ice blue eyes was not lost on me. “I want, I need you to promise me that you will not go out there and die on me.”
“I told you a long time ago, we never get to choose when our number is up, and I meant that. I can’t promise you what you want and you know it. I can promise you that I will do everything, every single day, to come home and be with you. Just as long as you make me the same promise, Jill,” I told her. She searched my eyes with hers but said nothing as she came in for a long, sensuous kiss. It was one of those kisses that felt like it lasted forever but left you wanting it to last longer. She finally pulled back and again locked eyes with me.
“Deal,” she said with a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.
“Deal,” I replied. I let my hand slip down her back and gave her a gentle smack on the butt. “Let’s get moving, we got a lot of work to do today.”
“You heard the Doc, no hard work for you. You get to play supervisor,” she said as she stepped away from me.
She started to hand me gear from the table and I started putting it on. The last thing she handed me was my helmet. I tucked it under my left arm and she
stepped back another step and looked me over from
head to toe. Satisfied that I had everything, she started for the front door and I followed her.
CHAPTER 10
Monday, August 14th, 2017
As we walked to the security shack, I couldn’t help but notice that Team 2 and 3 had assembled in the parking area. One of Team 1’s MRAP’s was parked at the front gate, one more at the East gate and a third one at the West gate. I couldn’t see the North gate but it was a good bet that their fourth MRAP was parked back there.
Jill led the way through the door of the shack. When I entered, I was greeted by the eight squad leaders. They snapped to attention and it took me a second to realize that they were waiting on me to return the salute.
“As you were,” I said as I returned the gesture. Every one of them smiled and started to slowly clap. They all had broad smiles on their faces. I caught a nod from Jill to Melissa Lange. Had I not been looking directly at Jill, I probably would have missed it. After the applause quieted down, Jill stepped up to the white board. She wrote our mission objectives on the board along with squad assignments. We were still under a communications blackout and she made sure to impress that on everyone in the room.
The only personnel from the ranch going into Elko were Jill and I. Everyone else was going to stay and hold down the fort with Team 1. After assignments
were given out and any questions answered, we made
our way out of the shack and headed toward the parking lot. Halfway there, Jill walked up on my left side and Melissa came up on my right. I looked back and forth between the two and stopped in my tracks.
“What are you two up to?” I asked.
“You and I cannot be caught in the same vehicle and since Melissa did such an outstanding job of covering your ass last time, she and her whole squad will now be your personal escorts. Wherever you go, they go,” Jill stated, all business now.
“What about you? You are just as much of a target as I am,” I protested.
“At Dennis and Dan’s insistence, I have been assigned to squad two of Team 2.”
“But...” I started and was cut off by Melissa.
“Begging your pardon sir, Major Jackson and Mr. Hawkins felt that the two of you need full protection details. They knew that trying to confine you to the ranch would be futile. They also know that this is the best way to keep you secure and they wanted the best people they had for the job. Squads 2-2 and 3-2 gladly accept the honor of protecting the ranches first couple,” she said. I had a hard time believing that she had said it with a straight face. Jill, on the other hand, smiled when she had gotten to the first couple part. All she could do was shrug her shoulders.
“All right Melissa,” I sighed. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Yes sir, follow me please,” she said as she headed for her MRAP. Jill gave me a quick peck on the
cheek and headed for her MRAP.
Once everybody had mounted up, all 8 vehicles headed out the gate. When we were clear, the vehicles spaced out and we proceeded to the city of Elko. The convoy didn’t slow when we passed the ambush site but I could see that the gaping hole in the road had been filled in with dirt.
We cleared the security checkpoint and it was obvious that my suggestions had been taken seriously. Every adult over the age of 16 was carrying a rifle and they had handguns holstered on their waists. We arrived a few minutes later at city hall and the security presence here was double what it had been on our last trip. Mayor Calvert greeted us in the parking area and he too was strapped. I disembarked the MRAP and was immediately surrounded by the entire squad assigned to me. I looked across the parking area and could see Jill moving with her detail surrounding her.
I walked straight for Mayor Calvert and realized that he too had a security detail. Harold Anders looked even bigger in full battle rattle.
“Mayor.” I said in greeting.
“Jason, glad to see you up and about again!”
“Gonna take more than a bomb to keep me down!” I chuckled.
“Come on, let’s get you guys inside,” he said as Jill joined us.
The three of us walked back up the sidewalk to the rear entrance. I was a little surprised at how well the three security details blended in and encircled us.
It was like they had practiced this a few times.
Once inside, we went upstairs to the Mayor’s office and elements of the security teams took up positions both inside and outside the door. Other members took up positions at the windows, effectively blocking any view into the room from outside. Jim sat on the corner of his desk and motioned to the chairs in front of it. Jill and I both took a seat.
“Major Jackson will join us as soon as he has finished loading the supplies that you requested. He should be here just about any time.”
“Thank you, Jim,” Jill said.
“It’s not a problem and you know that. You know, at first I was kind of irritated at Dennis for hunting down all of that military hardware instead of food. I guess in the end, he knew that we might need it someday,” Jim said.
“In his defense, Jim. He did bring back every scrap of food that he could find. He also saw to it that the little towns that were in bad shape got what they needed to keep going. Food, fuel, medicines, weapons and even vehicles. He and his guys have spent a lot of time teaching them how to use everything that he gave them,” I replied.
“I know, Jason. I know. Now I’m wishing that he had brought back even heavier weapons. I guess it’s a catch 22. The guy has been a godsend, that’s for sure.”
“I would be surprised if he didn’t already haul home some really good stuff and stashed it somewhere. I mean, hell, Dennis doesn't like to leave
anything useful laying around. Especially when it comes to military hardware,” Jill said as there was a soft knock at the door. A moment later, Major Dennis Jackson walked into the room.
“All three five-tons are loaded and we’ve got two Hummers to help escort them back to the ranch,” he said, not bothering with small talk. He wiped the sweat from his brow and headed straight to the water pitcher. After pouring and drinking an entire glass of water, he came back to the desk where we were all gathered. “I can spare some defense force guys to drive the five-tons and I can even spare a couple of guys to drive the Hummers. We can come out and pick them up this evening.”
“Thanks for the assist Dennis. This should go a long way toward keeping the ranch safe,” I said.
“All you had to do was ask. I was hoping that we would never have to use this stuff. I guess hope wasn’t enough.”
“Well, with any luck, it still won’t be used. I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” I said. “Anything new happening out there? Have you heard anything from Austin?”
“Nothing from Austin or the guys from Fallon. Its dead silence on the radio and it’s creeping me the fuck out.”
“Do you think they were ambushed?” Jill asked.
“I’m almost certain of it,” he said bluntly.
“Are you going to send out any scouts?” I asked.
“I’ve sent a two man team out in an old muscle
car that we borrowed. They should be radioing in just about any time,” he said.
“A muscle car? Why not a Hummer or an MRAP?” Jill asked.
“I wanted them to have something fast and Hummers are anything but. I figured that if they needed to make a run for it that old Plymouth GTX would get them out of any trouble in a hurry.”
“Makes sense,” I said thoughtfully. The door to the room was thrown open, startling all of us. Sheriff Watson burst in.
“Major! There's something you need to hear!” he said as he ushered a young man in from the hallway.
“What is it, Darren?” Dennis asked.
“I had my c
ommunications guy here, Todd, go over the distress call from Austin and the one from Eureka. You need to listen to what he found!” Darren said excitedly as he and Todd made their way to the Mayors desk. Todd produced and old tape recorder from under his arm and set it down.
“As all of you know, we record all conversations that come into our communications center. If it’s nothing of consequence, we recycle the tape and if it's important, we file it away. Sheriff Watson asked me to go over the distress calls again to see if I could pick out any similarities between the two,” the young man said as he shrugged off a backpack. “I'll play both of them
for you at a normal sound level and at a normal speed. Let's see if you can pick out the two anomalies.”
He played both of the tapes and there was only a
combined 44 seconds of audio. Everyone in the room was listening intently but none of us could pick anything out. Next he pulled a small pair of speakers from the pack and plugged them into the jack on the tape recorder.
“I used to use these speakers when I did a lot of online gaming. First person shooter games mostly. I really liked these because they were very loud and the sound quality is the best I've ever heard. I've never heard speakers that could bring out the background noise levels like these could. Here listen again. Fair warning though, it’s gonna be loud,” boy, he wasn't kidding either. After about 15 seconds, Major Jackson waived at him to pause the tape.
“It's really faint, but, was that a helicopter I heard?” he asked.
“It was, keep listening,” the young man instructed and pushed play again. Now that I knew what to listen for, I too could hear the helicopter. Then I heard a noise I'd only heard in online videos. A very faint BRRRRRRRRTTTTT. Dennis heard it too and the look that flashed across his face could only be described as that of panic.
“Shit....” he muttered.
“Was that a mini-gun I heard? I asked.
“That was a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and that sounded a lot like the mini-gun that is fitted on them,” he said putting both hands on the desk. “Bad, bad fucking news.”