by Reed, N. C.
“One of you go and alert Doctor Thatcher that we may need to render medical assistance to Jordan. It sounds as if there's a firefight there, and a heavy one at that. Tell her to remember the WCF protocol when she's getting ready, and that we may not be going at all. Got that?”
“Got it,” Leanne replied at once. “On my way.” She broke the connection before Clay did.
“We Come First?” Jody asked.
“We come first,” Clay confirmed. “We'll render what assistance we can, assuming we're asked, but we won't be shorting our own people to do it. And we won't be heading in to see if they need help, either. They can ask, and ask nicely, and we'll consider it.”
“Really burned their bridge with you, huh?” Jody grunted.
“To the ground,” Clay nodded once again. “I told Greg to get a response team set up in the other four-wheel Cougar. I'm going to start quietly getting people on alert and to posts. If you see them head out, remember you're our only heavy rifle at the moment. Heath and Brick are both on this job.”
“Have someone take Heath's rifle to the tower,” Jody suggested. “Leave it in the case, but take it and his mag bag. If he gets here before any pursuit, then he can be in place perhaps before they arrive.”
“I'll see to it,” Clay promised. “If you deem it an emergency go ahead and call me direct, but otherwise keep using the phones. I'll round up a couple of the teens to be runners, or have it done.”
“Will do, Boss,” Jody had never taken his eyes off the view beneath him. Clay left without another word, giving the cupola back to Jody to do his work.
-
The convoy arrived without difficulty just under thirty minutes from the time Jody first heard shooting in Jordan. Not bad, all things considered. As the vehicles stopped on the pad, Clay was standing there, waiting on them.
“See anything?” he asked Tandi and Xavier as the Hummer and the Cougar continued around back of the buildings, leaving the truck where it was.
“No, but we heard what could have been a good-sized engagement,” Xavier replied. “Heavy weapons fire, including what had to be an M2, which Jordan does not possess to my knowledge.”
“Mine either,” Clay nodded. “It's been several days since we heard what we believed to have been a similar engagement in Peabody. If that is the start of a pattern, then we might have a few days to prepare, or they may be here before nightfall if our 'good friends' in Jordan tell them about us,” he said, voice tinged with disgust.
“Your orders, sir?” Tandi asked.
“If I may, I have an idea,” Xavier spoke before Clay could.
“I'm listening,” Clay replied.
“The road here is very narrow where it meets the interstate ramps,” Xavier reminded them. “With a good growth of large trees to either side of the road for fifty yards or so. I suggest we take from the playbook of our 'friends in Jordan', and lay some kind of obstacle across the road at that point. Perhaps a trailer for hauling logs for example? Or a large tractor that will no longer run? Something we can roll into the road?”
“If we roll it in, they can roll it out,” Clay reminded him.
“Perhaps, assuming we left the tires inflated,” Xavier nodded. “Or even on the vehicle for that matter. Nothing says we have to. And in the case of the log trailer, they would need a vehicle along that could pull said trailer. Assuming they do not, then the best they can do is attach a chain from no more than two smaller vehicles and try to pull it over and drag it away. I suggest that doing so would make a great deal of noise. Enough that someone in the cupola above us might hear?”
Clay considered that for a minute, his mind running through all the scenarios he could think of.
“Doing that will assure them there's something down here they want,” he said finally.
“If someone in Jordan, or perhaps even in Peabody has told them about us, then they already know there's something here they want,” Tandi reminded him. “What X is talking about is just getting some early warning.”
“Or a damn fine place for an ambush,” Xavier added. “Or, of course, a parley,” he sounded as if the idea made him sick to his stomach.
“Let me talk to Ronny and see if there are any trailers around here,” Clay decided.
“There are three of them at Jake's truck stop,” Tandi offered. “Remember?”
“No,” Clay shook his head. “That's half-way to Jordan. And they're in a battle or maybe just finished it. We're not going that way for the foreseeable future. There used to be several people around here that logged the pulp woods. Ronny will know if there's any equipment around we can use. Meantime, let’s get everyone to their posts, and do it quietly. There's been some changes made now that the bunker is completed, so see Jose about that. It's a good idea, X,” he added. “We'll see if we can make it happen.” He walked away, leaving the two men standing.
“You know, some caltrops might be just the things,” Tandi mused. “If we decided to lay an ambush, I mean.”
“If we could find some paint to make them look like part of the pavement, so much the better,” Xavier agreed. “Probably only get the lead vehicle or so, but in the right spot that could provide another ambush opportunity.”
“For now, we need to post,” Tandi tugged on Xavier's arm. “But if my post is the same then I'll speak to Jake and explain what we need. If we have it, he'll know it.”
-
“Not close by, no,” Ronny shook his head as Clay explained what he had wanted. “Last time they logged Luther Spence's land, they left trailers here overnight but... that had to be five years ago or better. No one was logging here when the Storm hit that I know of.”
“Anyone have any heavy equipment down this way when the lights went out?” Clay asked. “Big tractor or maybe a harvester?”
“We did most of the harvesting down here,” Ronny reminded him. “With old man Troy gone, and the Plums wherever they were when the lights went out, there's no one else on this road for... five, maybe six miles? There's really no one on this road at all, in fact, since the nearest house I know of is on Tower Road, and that's... seven or eight miles from here, at least. There are three log trailers at Jake's old place on-”
“We're not doing that,” Clay was already shaking his head. “We're not going that way when a battle may be going on in Jordan. Just asking for trouble, and I've asked for enough as it is. I would take any ideas you may have about something to block the road with, however. Something that doesn't require us to go to Jake's or further,” he added.
“The only thing I can even imagine is to use those old trucks that we ruined during the attacks on the farm. I really don't think they're gonna run again with the engine blocks shattered. I know Jake stripped them of anything he thought we could use because I helped him, but the hulls are still there, over on the west line. We took the leaf springs out of them of course, and what usable metal we could strip away. Now that I think on it, we'd probably have to use all of them to make a decent roadblock. There probably ain't much left.”
“And we wouldn't be able to just roll it out of the way if we needed through, either,” Clay was shaking his head. “Damn, this sounded like a great idea at the time.”
“It's still a good idea, man,” Ronny agreed. “We just have to work a little for it, that's all. We can take two trucks, grab a pair of trailers and be back on the road home in less than ten minutes, assuming the trailer tires aren't flat.”
“No,” Clay was firm. “We're not doing that. The risk is too high. We don't know what we might be facing. If things calm down then we might look at it again, but not right now. We'll just heave a tree in the way and booby trap it. If they move it we'll hear.”
“Clay, it might not be an enemy who moves it,” Ronny said gently.
“A tree deliberately across the road clearly says 'keep out',” Clay said at once. “If they're trying to open it up, they're an enemy. At the very least they're unfriendly,” he finished as Leon came running up.
“Hey dad,
” the teen said breathlessly. “Uncle Clay, Jordan is calling on the radio!” he turned to his uncle. “I think they want us to help them!”
“Have you replied?” Clay felt his stomach clench.
“No sir,” Leon was shaking his head. “We're on radio silence.”
“Good man,” Clay clasped his nephew's shoulder. “I need to go see about this,” Clay told his brother-in-law. “If you think of anything else that might work, let me know. If we have to use the car sculpture then we may well do so. We'll see what happens.”
“Got it,” Ronny said even as Clay and Leon took off for the radio room.
Today was turning into a busy day.
-
“Home Plate? Do you copy? Home Plate this is Dugout. We are under attack and need help. Respond immediately!”
This was the message that met Clay as he entered the radio room.
“Respond immediately,” JJ scoffed. “Now they're in charge, I guess?”
“Not hardly,” Clay patted JJ's back. “And I don't deal well with 'demands' either,” he winked at the teen when he turned to look at the Bossman.
“Me neither,” Millie huffed, leaning back in her seat. “Well, most of the time,” she cast a playful wink at Leon, who turned apple red but grinned.
“Footsie later, children,” Clay chided, though in good humor. “What else have they said?”
“One 'request' said there were multiple vehicles,” JJ looked at the paper he had been making notes on. “Another reported seven vehicles and described four of them as 'those new Jeeps', which I assume means Hummers. And one reported a cannon that worked like a machine gun.”
“Probably a grenade launcher,” Clay nodded grimly. “It is a machine gun, but instead of bullets it fires forty-millimeter grenades. A long way in fact. To someone who doesn't know what they're seeing it might well seem like an auto-cannon.”
“I thought Dawson was a vet?” Leon asked. “Wouldn't he know?”
“He may not be the one calling,” Clay reminded him. “Or the one who ordered the call made, or said why. There's no way to know other than to go see, and we're not doing that. Maintain radio silence. We'll only be breaking it here in case of emergency. No exceptions, including the little FRS radios. Got it?”
“Got it,” all three replied. “We still have a phone in the old observation posts,” Leon reminded him. “Both of them.”
“Good to know, but we're not putting anyone out there right now,” Clay nodded. “You guys keep listening and come find me if there's anything important.”
“Home Plate I know you can hear me,” the radio came to life again. “If you hang us out to dry, you'll regret it! You hear me! I swear you'll regret it!”
“Stuff like that ain't important,” Clay informed them. “And just so you know, this is on them, not us. We tried to be friends, to the point of giving them a whole trailer of stuff and several vehicles we had collected for trading. Didn't ask anything in return but friendship. When we tried to recruit a dozen people from town to help us, they had a fit. That led to some harsh words and the current lack of said friendship. That brings you all up to date.”
“If we had gotten the recruits would we be helping?” JJ asked. “Just for my own information,” he added.
“Possibly,” Clay admitted. “As it is, I think we're better off without their help. We might never have been able to trust them. Keep your ears open, I gotta go.” With that Clay was out and gone, leaving the teens to continue their watch.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“It's a good idea, Boss.”
“I already said no.”
Mitchell and Tandi were trying to talk Clay into letting them take two trucks and grab two of the log trailers still sitting at Jake's and pull them into place blocking the road.
“In the right place, those two trailers will completely block the road,” Mitchell said. “True, they may can move them, but it would be difficult at best.”
“And give us some warning from the noise, probably,” Tandi nodded his agreement.
“Am I not saying 'no' correctly?” Clay asked. “Using the wrong language, maybe? We are not going that direction for any reason that I can think of at the moment!”
“It's only to the freeway,” Mitchell kept hammering. “In and out. There and gone.”
“And if they've blown through Jordan and are on their way here?” Clay demanded. “What then?”
“We kill them,” Tandi shrugged.
“So easy to do that an entire town may have failed,” Clay nodded, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “A town with over three hundred military rifles and heavy weapons of their own, might I remind you. Radio message reported as many as seven vehicles, at least four of which are Hummers carrying heavy weapons, including one that sounded like a -19. If they hit while you're out hooking up the trailers, you're dead.”
“We got our own heavy weapons, Boss,” Mitchell objected. “And it's not like they can take us by surprise. I mean there's no way that many vehicles can get there without us hearing them!”
“Over the noise of two semi-trucks and how many other engines?” Clay hit right back. “Your hearing must be a hell of a lot better than mine, then!”
Neither had an immediate reply to that one.
“I'm not saying it's a bad idea,” Clay's voice quietened but lost none of its edge. “I'm saying this isn't the time. The enemy is likely in Jordan right now. If Jordan managed to run them off, or better yet kill them all, then going to get those trailers and blocking the road is a fine plan. But not when there's a force that strong so close by. The only way to safely execute this mission is to drain this farm of its defenses. That is unacceptable. There's not a single reason or instance where weakening our defense that much is even remotely acceptable in fact. None.”
“Would either of you feel comfortable taking so much from here and leaving your significant others behind, basically on their own?”
Both now looked uncomfortable.
“That's what I thought,” Clay avoided sounding triumphant. “Now, if you want to do something constructive, start figuring a good way to ambush these bastards if they come our way. They may be stronger than we thought.” Without another word he turned and stalked away.
-
“There is a way, maybe, to do their roadblock,” Jose Juarez said perhaps ten minutes later.
“Oh for... what is it now?” Clay just hung his head, tired of fighting the same battle over and over.
“We've got that old box trailer back there,” Jose nodded toward the rear of the three buildings behind the Troy House. “The one from the truck stop. With the trailers Shane's group brought, we don't need it. Don't really have the trucks to pull it after the one we lost to the Webb family. We could overturn it in that tight spot off the freeway. Block the road almost completely and certainly enough to stop a vehicle.”
Clay said nothing, though he was clearly thinking it over.
“I can see that working,” he finally spoke, his voice laced with caution. “But not today. It's still too likely we'd run into trouble. They likely have us outnumbered and certainly would assuming we left a sufficient force here to protect the farm. It would be too costly.”
“More costly than an all-out attack here?” Jose asked, eyebrow raised.
“Prove to me that a single box trailer overturned in the road will prevent an all-out attack here and I'll approve it,” Clay challenged.
“We aren't trying to prevent it, just slow it down,” Jose objected. “Give us some warning.”
“Put a scout out and mine the road,” Clay said in reply. “Accomplish the same thing without nearly as much risk.”
“Mine the road,” Jose repeated, more or less to himself.
“What?” Clay asked.
“Nothing, just... you gave me an idea for an equalizer that we have ignored to this point.”
“Like what?”
“Mines.”
-
“Spread the word to everyone,” Clay turned
to look at Leanne. “No one, and I mean no one is allowed past the equipment road of the Troy Farm. For any reason whatsoever.”
“Yes sir,” Leanne nodded and jumped on her golf cart to go and deliver the message. Clay then turned to Leon and Millie.
“You understand the issue,” he said flatly. “We can't allow the lines to be seen because that will alert the enemy they're present. We cannot allow them to see the disturbed soil from burying them as we did with the phone lines, since that will lead them to the bunker, assuming they don't spot it right away.”
“Already got one, but it will take some time, and some muscle,” Leon replied at once. Clay raised an eyebrow to indicate he was listening.
“Use a shovel to ease the grass up, just like it was sod,” his nephew told him. “Do that all the way from the mine to the bunker, lay the wire, then we go back and replace the grass by hand. Just like a natural jigsaw puzzle. With that done, we can cover the entire yard with hay if we still need to hide it. I don't think we will if we're careful, but it's still an option if we need it.”
“It will work,” Millie assured Clay. “But it takes time. The more people we have working the problem, the sooner it's finished.”
“Get every available hand,” Clay told Jose. “Anyone who is physically capable of doing as they suggested, get them on this. Now. The sooner the better.”
“On it,” Jose nodded curtly and took off. Clay looked back to the teens.
“Any other ideas you two have, now is the time,” he said kindly.
“Make sure the detonators are contact only?” Leon reminded him. “Their radios might set one or more of them off, let alone ours.”
“Already took care of, but excellent suggestion,” Clay approved. “Good work. Anything else?”
“What are you going to do across the road?” Leon asked carefully.
“We're not sure yet.” Clay surprised him by answering. “A lot of this depends on time. Have you heard anything else out of Jordan?”
“A couple more threats about us regretting 'leaving them hanging',” Millie's face showed what she thought of that. “How do they figure we owe them anything?”