Mercy

by Tara Ellis

  As they approached it, Danny could see what looked like a rather large group of men gathered, most of them in camo gear, and all heavily armed. One was wearing outdoor clothing and standing next to an attractive, middle-aged woman. A particular soldier stood out from the rest due to his dauting size. He was incredibly tall, and built like a bull. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but Danny couldn’t remember from where or why.

  Bishop’s pace suddenly quickened until he was almost running, leaving the rest of them behind to scramble to keep up. “Stay here,” Tom directed to Danny and Chloe as he unslung his rifle and ran after him. From the look on Tom’s face, she guessed he recognized the soldier, too.

  Before Danny could decide what to do, Bishop stopped ten feet from the gate. He had his back to her, but she could see the reaction from the huge soldier, as his shoulders sagged and he pushed past the fencing without even acknowledging the startled guards.

  Tom and Sheriff Waters stared in bewilderment at the two men, but didn’t try to interfere as they approached each other.

  Danny watched in stunned silence as the soldier reached out and grasped Bishop by the arms, a huge smile spreading across his handsome face as he spoke. “Hey, Dad.”

  Chapter 15

  JAMES

  Master Sergeant, US Marines, 1st Force Reconnaissance

  Mercy, Montana

  James had never seen his dad so emotional, except for the day they buried his mother. While he had the benefit of knowing his father was going to be in Mercy, the last time they’d spoken, James was about to leave for Germany with his team. Up until that moment, his dad probably thought he was dead.

  There was a heavy pause as everyone else became bystanders to their reunion, and it didn’t matter to James whether they understood or not. After a long embrace, Bishop stood back and held him at arm’s length. “I didn’t know you were alive. I thought—”

  “The mission got scrubbed,” James answered as his dad got too choked up to finish the sentence. “It was a last-minute call, so we were still on base at Malmstrom when the gamma-ray hit.”

  “Allison and the baby?”

  “They were at home at Base Pendleton,” James assured his dad about his wife and daughter. “I’d just spoken to Ally before we lost power. I haven’t seen or talked to her since, but I’ve gotten confirmation they’re okay.” The reality was that James lay awake each night worrying about his family, and would continue to until they were reunited.

  Bishop let go of him and seemed to remember suddenly that there were other people there. “Um, Tom, this is my…son. Master Sergeant James Campbell, leader of the 1st Force Reconnaissance.”

  James shifted his attention to the large man standing behind his father and had an intense feeling of deja vu. He could see the recognition on Tom’s face as the woman next to him started to point. “We’ve met you before,” she said, confirming his suspicions.

  “What?” Bishop demanded, turning to her. “How?”

  “Your son already saved our skins once, back at FEMA Shelter M3,” Tom explained, stepping forward to hold out a hand to him. “Nice to see you again. I don’t think you ever really met Danny. And this is Sheriff Waters, and Chloe.”

  “Hey, Hicks,” Chloe quipped with a small wave and crooked grin.

  James grunted as it all fell into place and he took the hand that Tom offered. He looked different out of the black FEMA gear, and his face had healed, but James still recognized him. His initial assessment of the rancher back at the shelter seemed to have been accurate. Tom was both a fighter and a survivor, and James wasn’t surprised to run into him again. And he finally knew where he’d heard the name Mercy before. It had been bugging him for the past two days, as they’d gotten closer to the town.

  Bishop was looking back and forth between the three of them as they became reacquainted. “I don’t understand,” he said, running a hand over the top of his head in frustration. “What were you doing at the FEMA shelter, James? Where have you been? You were so close this whole time, and I had no idea.”

  James looked over at his five men before gesturing to the senator. He might as well dump it all on them at once. “First, let’s get the introductions out of the way,” he said with a forced grin. “I should probably start with US Senator Alicia Jenson. We’re doing our best to keep her safe from some rogue military actions. I was hoping Mercy would be a safe refuge.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” the senator said as they exchanged pleasantries amid an appropriate amount of shock and confusion. “I get the feeling everyone has long stories to tell and we’ve been walking for almost two days. Is there a place we can sit down to do it? Preferably over a glass of something with a really high alcohol content.”

  “Oh, you and my mom are going to get along famously,” Tom scoffed. “It sounds like we’re having some similar problems.” He pointed back over his shoulder. “I think we should all go back to the ranch. We can avoid going through town and there’s enough room for everyone.”

  “Why do we need to avoid the town?” Jay asked, moving up alongside James while giving him a cautionary look.

  The sheriff shouldered his rifle and appeared slightly chagrined. “People are a little spooked right now around anyone in a uniform. We’d do best to avoid drawing too much attention until we get a chance to announce your appearance, or else find you something else to wear.”

  “And there’s also a quarantine for any newcomers,” Danny said while absently touching her face. James wondered what in the world had happened to her head. It was swathed with a thick layer of bandages and he could see some bruising extending down from under it on her right cheek. If he remembered correctly, the last time he saw her she’d just been racked in the forehead with an AR by a Marine with a bad attitude.

  “Quarantine?” Senator Jenson asked with some concern. “Are we at risk of being exposed to something nasty?”

  “No,” Tom assured them. “It’s to protect the town. There was an outbreak before we got here that was caused by some travelers, but there haven’t been any new cases for around two weeks.”

  “I think I’ve probably heard of it,” the senator said, nodding her head. “Something resembling cholera? There were reports of a serious epidemic in Helena, though there aren’t any cases in Idaho yet.”

  “You’re the senator of Idaho?” Danny asked, her curiosity clearly deepening.

  Before anyone could offer any more information, both of the radios Tom and Sheriff Waters had with them began squawking. James watched as a look passed between them, and then Bishop raised his eyebrows at Tom.

  “Okay,” Tom said to the unasked question, apparently coming to a decision and making it clear who called the shots. “We’re a code four here at the north gate,” he said into the radio while looking at James and then the rest of his team, who were all standing at ease behind him. “False alarm.”

  “Mayor?” one of the guards asked, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “What do you want us to tell people?”

  “The truth,” Tom said pointedly. “We’re not attempting to cover anything up here, John. If anyone wants to know, we’ve had a member of the US civilian government and her escort arrive, asking for shelter. The sheriff and I are taking them to the farm and we’ll make an official announcement about our guests tomorrow at the barbeque.”

  James noted how all three guards were visibly reassured by Tom’s direct approach, and his respect for the man as a leader deepened. It was a smart move. It also reminded him that they had an audience, and he didn’t want to have the upcoming conversation where anyone else could overhear.

  “Let’s get moving,” Tom directed, mirroring James’ thoughts. He pulled the barricade open wider. “It’s several miles to my ranch.”

  “I’ll send my deputy back to get the wagon,” Sheriff Waters offered, while gesturing to the man in question who had been standing quietly off to the side the whole time. “No need to say anything specific, Jim. Just get it emptied an
d explain that you’re taking it back to the ranch.”

  “You got it, Sheriff,” Jim answered eagerly, already walking away with a wave. “I’ll catch up to ya as fast as I can!”

  “Did you walk all the way here from the Trek Thru Trouble office?” Chloe asked as they began walking, looking pointedly at Hicks. “Why didn’t you come sooner, if you knew we were here?”

  “We came part of the way on a helicopter,” Jay answered. “Our recon unit just got to the office a couple of days ago.”

  “It’s complicated,” Hicks said, without further explanation.

  Senator Jenson moved next to Bishop, and James groaned when he saw the look on her face. “I’m not sure who outranks whom here, but I’m guessing that you might be the man I need to direct my questions to. I’m hoping you have the authority to fill us all in on what it is we’re doing out here.” The senator spread her arms wide and waved them around at the surrounding mountains and endless trees. “Because I still have no idea why I’m out in the middle of nowhere.”

  His dad turned from the woman who was used to getting her way and stared at James. She watched the exchange and rolled her eyes. “Look, General Montgomery essentially put out a hit on me, and your son and his team decided to disobey orders and whisked me away, instead. I appreciate what they’ve done for me, but I’m in the dark as to why I’ve been brought here. I’m not buying the excuse that it’s simply a good place to hide. I need details, especially if I’m going to help with whatever it is you guys are in the middle of. The civilian government and military need to work together, with the people, if we have any shot of making it through this.”

  “She’s definitely right about that,” Danny agreed. “Coming from someone who’s been caught in the middle, if Senator Jenson has a shot at bridging the gap, now would be a good time to start talking, Bishop.”

  James knew just from his dad’s body posture that he was resigned to exposing everything, and he gave Jay a look. He hadn’t shared the truth of the vault with his team, though they had to know something more was at stake when he’d ordered Corporal Lance to stay back with Hawk. While the two men could never hold off a direct military assault, James didn’t want to leave the kids completely defenseless in the unlikely event that some other rogue group attacked them. At the time, he still thought the office would be safer for the teens than the trip to Mercy.

  “The Trek Thru Trouble program and office is a cover for the largest and most sophisticated seed vault in the world,” Bishop said. “There are three of them in the US, but Trek’s is the main one. I was part of the team that designed and built it, and I’ve been in charge of protecting it since it went operational a year ago.”

  “Seed vault?” Senator Jenson asked. It was the first time James had seen her at a loss for words. “As in, there’s a storage facility under that building?”

  “A massive structure,” Hicks confirmed. “It’s tied into a pre-existing cave system, and it’s not just a seed vault. They’re genetically modified seeds and animal embryos, stored in self-germinating containers in a nuclear and EMP-hardened infrastructure. Just the two vaults located here and in Oregon are more than enough to enable what’s left of our population to be self-sustaining in harsher environments than what we’re already facing.”

  Danny was shaking her head. “This doesn’t make sense. What does this have to do with some general trying to kill a senator, or Mercy?”

  “Have you heard of General Montgomery?” James asked. “The Four-star general left in charge of the military?”

  Tom nodded. “We heard bits and pieces about the general when we were in the shelter, and Caleb’s interpreted and put together some of the military’s infrastructure based on the transmissions he’s picked up.”

  “The general has been using my unit as his personal SWAT team,” James explained. “Did you know you were on the Survivor List?” he asked his dad.

  Bishop frowned and turned to him thoughtfully. “I was notified, but at the time never thought it would be activated. Even now, while I was staying hidden in order to protect The Farm, I didn’t think the list would come into play. It’s stored at Mount Weather.”

  James raised his eyebrows and then put out a hand to stop his dad’s next question. “Later,” he promised. “General Montgomery was using it as a means to gather the people he needed to get control of the vault. He’s a smart guy and he saw where the power was going to be several moves ahead of anyone else.”

  “If your job was to protect the vault, why wouldn’t you immediately hand it over to the military?” Chloe asked, and James was surprised she was the first one to ask the question. “Isn’t that who you work for, Bishop?” There was a cutting edge to her words.

  They had followed Tom onto the first side road, which was already heading up a wooded hill, and they were clear of any houses at the moment. Bishop stopped in the middle of the road so he could address the whole group and James watched his dad with a strange sense of detachment. It was as if the whole situation was too surreal to be happening.

  “When I first got to Mercy, the kids were still my first priority, and then finding out the full extent of what had happened,” Bishop said, glancing at Chloe. “By the time I was ready to make my way back to my post at The Farm, I got the second radio working and discovered Hicks was already there. At that point, we were getting word of the civilian attacks carried out by the military. Hicks had reports of unrest among several different factions, so we decided it would be in the nation’s best interest to sit on The Farm until we knew who was going to end up in power.”

  “I think that was the right move.” Senator Jenson was the first to speak, and James wasn’t expecting her reaction. “These vaults are incredibly valuable. We can’t let them become part of a power struggle or else we might end up losing everything. Montgomery has to be stopped. He’ll use it as a way to maintain control over the population and would literally have the ability to choose who lives and dies. No one man should ever have that authority.”

  The sound of horses approaching at a gallop caused the whole group to turn and look up the road. Both Lucas and Jay began to bring their ARs around until James waved them off. The last thing they needed was to get into an unwarranted shootout with a local.

  “Ethan!” Tom shouted as two riders came into view. One of them was the same young man James met at the shelter, who he remembered was Tom’s son. The boy had been reaching for a rifle kept in a scabbard on his saddle. James assumed it was normally used for hunting, but it was obvious the teen had no qualms about facing off against any potential threat.

  “We heard the exchange on the radio,” the other rider answered. He was a large, muscular Hispanic man, and was holding a radio.

  “We’re okay, Chief,” Danny offered, and then looked at Ethan as he pulled up on an impressive black-and-white horse. “But we appreciate the gesture.”

  “Whoa!” Ethan exclaimed while pointing at James. “You’re the dude who took care of Dillinger for us.” He looked at the five other uniformed, armed soldiers, and his smile faltered as he shifted in his saddle to face his dad.

  “We’re good here,” Tom confirmed. “We’re all headed to the ranch. It would be better if we hold off on explaining everything until then.”

  Ethan smiled again and looked down at Chloe. “Want a ride?” The young girl reached up and he easily pulled her into the saddle with him. The horse turned in a circle as the teen first gestured to James, and then addressed the rest of the group. He said the one thing that could unequivocally bring them all together in that moment. “When was the last time any of you had a good steak?”

  As he watched the reaction of his men, and the camaraderie that was already expanding, it began to make sense to James. How his dad and Tom were already connected to each other, and to Mercy. They had all been on a collision course without knowing it.

  “Call it fate, or whatever you want, but we’re obviously all here for a reason,” James said. He looked around at the unusual co
llection of people in the middle of a country road already being reclaimed by nature. “Let’s not waste it.”

  Chapter 16

  TOM

  Miller Ranch, Mercy, Montana

  The unplanned dinner included their large group of sixteen, as well as Tom’s mom, Sam, and the other nine volunteers Chief Martinez was a part of. They used up most of the beef he’d set aside, though it was more than worth it. After everyone seemed to accept the explanation that the senator and her entourage were seeking refuge after their helicopter ran out of gas, there was nothing but good cheer and laughter. Tom used his pull as mayor to waive the quarantine protocol, claiming their two-day isolation during their hike was acceptable since they hadn’t encountered anyone else.

  The sheriff and his deputy took the volunteers back to town in the wagon as soon as they were done eating. It gave Tom the opportunity to catch his mom and Sam up on some details before making plans for the night, with the promise of a thorough conversation once everyone was settled.

  “Tom, do you copy?”

  Tom winced before unhooking the radio from his belt. By then, Sheriff Waters would have stopped and had a long conversation with Patty at City hall, where she would be preparing most of the night for the celebration the next day. She’d already radioed them several times for more information and he knew she wasn’t going to be satisfied with what the sheriff told her.

  “Go ahead, Patty,” he said into the radio without any enthusiasm. He just hoped she’d remember that there were several other people listening to them.

  “Sheriff Waters just left. I’ll see you when you get here bright and early tomorrow and we’ll have a nice, long talk. I have a few questions for you.”

  “I’m sure you do,” he muttered, before keying up the radio. “Received.” He figured it was best not to give any existing gossip more fuel than necessary, so he held off on saying anything else. However, he’d be sure to remind Patty in the morning that she was the one who basically forced him into the Mayor position.