THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5

by Steven Konkoly

  “No surveillance gear, unless it’s classified or named differently,” said Bernstein.

  “Can the supply officer see the full inventory of gear hidden away out there?”

  “Negative. She can search by name or specific supply system number. And she isn’t keen on searching for gear that doesn’t bear directly on our mission, so don’t get any ideas.”

  “Maybe we can get Grady to lean on 4th Brigade’s commanding officer. I know they have acoustic sensors.”

  “Not the kind you’re looking for. Mostly low power, localized stuff monitored by a nearby station. One thousand meters or less.”

  “Then we’ll have to put LP/OP teams in the field,” said Alex.

  “Patriot’s en route. He wants to meet with ops and intel staff immediately,” announced one of the Marines monitoring the battalion tactical along the back wall of the hangar.

  “We can barely cover the battalion’s checkpoint requirements,” stated Bernstein, waving for his staff sergeant to join them.

  Alex took a seat in one of the folding chairs facing a table-mounted sixty-inch flat-screen. Major Blackmun, a first lieutenant and the operation’s first sergeant joined them a few moments before Grady burst through the side hangar door next to the monitor. They stood and waited for him to approach.

  “As you were,” said Grady, hanging his rifle on a rack of hooks bolted to the wall next to the door.

  He stared at them, his weathered, battle-scarred face betraying no emotion. “Here’s the situation. The RRZ Authority has changed our tasking to focus on immediate area security, with a major emphasis on—you guessed it—the airport. The Route 109 corridor from the airport to Sanford High School will be secured by vehicle checkpoints and foot patrols. Goodall Hospital is now our responsibility. I’ve convinced them to consider moving the CISA camp to one of the structures across the street, where it will be easier to defend. Our security mission will remain compacted until the militia threat has been neutralized.”

  Alex started to form a question.

  “I know what you’re going to ask,” said Grady, preempting him. “How can we neutralize the militia threat if everything is tied up in Sanford? I haven’t figured that out yet. They’re aware of the dilemma, but all of their Ivy League think-tank analysis paperwork suggests that domestic-based militias do not have the strength or resolve to address a hardened, tighter security posture.”

  “Long term, the Green Zone approach doesn’t work, sir. We’ve proven that time after time,” said Major Blackmun. “That’s in the record books.”

  “They’re not looking at this long term. They think if we can keep the militia threat from disrupting RRZ operations for the next three to four months, the winter will slow them down, if not bury them. There’s some truth to that.”

  “Four months is a long time. I’ve read the RRZ protocols,” said Alex. “If we can’t secure southern Maine, they’ll shift the security area north. We have to be more proactive about Eli Russell. I don’t think it will take much. He blew up two of his own men today, which leads me to believe he doesn’t like loose ends. If we get enough vehicles searching north, we’re bound to find something. All we need to do is grab a few of his people to unravel the whole group. The guys we captured at my house were eager to give up Eli’s original headquarters.”

  “Unless I can get Authority to scrap the high school idea, I can’t spare additional resources,” Grady said. “I barely convinced them to keep FOB Lakeside, and that fight isn’t over. They aren’t convinced of its short-term ROI.”

  Alex paused for a second, staggering mentally from the thought of losing the Marines protecting his house. If the RRZ forced Grady to dismantle FOB Lakeside with Eli on the loose, he’d have no choice but to evacuate north, with or without Grady’s permission.

  “ROI? This isn’t a publicly traded company. Fuck it. We’ll accelerate the provisional security group’s training and get them out there shaking the trees alongside any Marines we can spare.”

  Grady winced, his stoic face clearly pained to proceed. “Governor Medina ordered all militia removed from the base—effective immediately. She doesn’t want any unfriendly militia slipping into the group, especially in light of the fact that the Maine Liberty Militia isn’t mentioned in Homeland’s database.”

  “Can I train them off base?”

  “Not with RRZ personnel or equipment.”

  “What about the provisional Marines? They’re not militia.”

  “They don’t want any new personnel involved in RRZ security matters,” said Grady.

  “So the program is scrapped.”

  “Essentially.”

  “All right. I’ll need to borrow one of the Armadillos to return the volunteers, unless Medina plans to make them walk home,” said Alex, resolved not to say another word.

  “Operations will secure a vehicle for their return,” said Grady, nodding at Major Blackmun.

  “Got it, sir,” said the major.

  “Anything else?” said Grady, looking at Alex, who shook his head.

  “Nothing? Very well. Alex, I need to speak with you before you leave. Ops, gather up the rest of your staff plus all of the company commanders. We need to redeploy the battalion by twenty-hundred hours, which doesn’t give us a ton of time.”

  Alex approached Grady as soon as the group broke apart.

  “Sir?”

  “Guardian represents the battalion’s only dedicated search assets,” said Grady, referring to the vehicles and Marines stationed in Limerick.

  “It’s not enough, but we’ll do what we can. If Harrison Campbell agrees, I’ll try to field a few of his vehicles. Not sure how he’s going to take this. It’s kind of a slap in the face after what happened today. I sold him pretty hard on the cooperative aspect of working with the RRZ.”

  “If he’s willing to help, we’ll keep his vehicles fueled. I completely understand if he isn’t interested.”

  “He understands what’s at stake if Eli destabilizes the RRZ.”

  “Just do me a favor and keep their involvement out of your digital reports. I’m not the only one reading them—and make sure you recover all of the ROTAC gear.”

  “It makes sense to let Campbell keep one of the ROTAC sets. It’s the only way we can get in touch with him in the field. He doesn’t have access to any of the battalion or RRZ traffic.”

  “I was specifically told to recover the ROTAC gear,” stated Grady.

  “I never recorded the ROTAC transfers in any of my reports. You didn’t tell them, did you?”

  Grady shook his head.

  “They’re tracking the phones? Fuck, there’s something wrong with all of this. The whole RRZ set up seems like one giant clusterfuck, except for surveillance. No problems there. What else are they tracking?” demanded Alex.

  “Vehicles. ID cards. But you didn’t hear that from me,” said Grady.

  “ID cards? They can track these?” said Alex, pulling out his card and examining it.

  “No, but they can track when and where they’ve been swiped. I received a digital message eight days ago notifying me that Captain Alex Fletcher had accessed the Northeast Sector Coast Guard base in South Portland, Maine.”

  Alex didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t prepared an excuse for visiting the Coast Guard station because he’d underestimated the depths of the government’s paranoia.

  Never again.

  “This is fucked up, Sean,” Alex whispered. “They spend more time watching and analyzing our movements than trying to fix the shit storm out there.”

  Grady contemplated Alex’s statement, lowering his voice to respond. “I’m not sure how much of a difference any of this will make in the long run, but we have to try. It’s our best option.”

  “Maybe,” said Alex, rubbing his sweaty face with both hands.

  “Promise me you’ll stick around until this Eli Russell business is finished. Whatever you do decide to do after that, I’ll make sure nothing stands in your way.”

>   “I’ll need some leeway with this. More Marines would help,” said Alex.

  “I can’t give you more vehicles. They’re tracking our deployment carefully.”

  “If I had an additional squad of Marines at the FOB, I’d feel comfortable releasing the rest of my vehicles to search for Russell.”

  “We could probably spare a few fire teams from Alpha Company. Would that work?” said Grady.

  “We’ll make it work.”

  Chapter 29

  EVENT +17 Days

  Sanford, Maine

  Alex selected Harrison’s ROTAC channel and pressed “lock.” He wasn’t looking forward to this meeting.

  “Harrison Campbell.”

  “Harrison, it’s Alex. I’m sitting on the road in front of your property with Gary, the Kleins, and the twelve volunteers that decided to stay with the brigade. I can drive them up if that’s all right.”

  “Probably not a great idea right now. Not everyone took the RRZ’s move in stride.”

  “I understand, but I do need to talk with you in person. Trust me, it’s important.”

  “I’ll meet you at the first checkpoint,” said Campbell.

  “Is that the one where your folks pop out of the woods with guns, or the fortified bunkers a little further down the road?”

  “I’ll call ahead and make sure they don’t shake you down.”

  “I appreciate that. I’ve hit my shakedown limit for the day,” said Alex.

  “That bad?”

  “It’s not good. See you in a few minutes.”

  Alex trailed the group, drifting back as they disappeared around the bend leading to the gate. A gust of wind unleashed a cascading shower of water from the drenched leaves above. The drops pelted his helmet and uniform, tapering off as the breeze died. He removed his helmet and let the damp, shaded air wash over his head. A purposeful rustling of the bushes to the right drew his attention to a familiar face.

  “Ms. Nunya.” He nodded. “Glad to see you back on point.”

  “Harrison wants you to wait here,” she said, resuming her watch of the forest’s edge through the thick trees.

  “Back where we started, huh?”

  She didn’t respond.

  Message received.

  When Harrison arrived a few minutes later, they walked slowly back toward the rumbling military vehicle.

  “Sorry I dragged you into all of this. I should have known the RRZ would do this.”

  “No need to apologize. I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

  “Still,” he said, glancing behind them. “They seem pretty pissed.”

  “They had hoped this would turn out very differently. We took a vote after you came to visit me the first time. The decision to partner up with a government entity was far from unanimous. I gave everyone the option to decline participation and remain in good standing within the brigade. Nobody took me up on the offer.”

  “The York County Readiness Brigade isn’t out of the fight yet,” said Alex. “I need your help searching for Eli.”

  “Doesn’t the RRZ have several thousand soldiers and dozens of helicopters in southern Maine?”

  “Most of the battalion’s assets have been re-tasked with protecting the area immediately surrounding Sanford. 4th Brigade Combat Team units are off-limits unless it has something to do with the border.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. They’re just holing up at the airport and hoping for the best?”

  “Pretty much. I still have the Marines stationed at the Limerick FOB, but Grady’s not sure how long that will last. The more teams we have searching for Eli, the better. Grady authorized me to refuel any vehicles used in the search effort.”

  “I’ll bring this up a little later today and get back to you,” said Campbell. “What’s your plan if Grady recalls the Marines from your property?”

  Alex shook his head. “I’d have to leave.”

  “Well, you’re always welcome here. Plenty of room in the barn, and it has a nice fireplace. Not a bad place to spend the winter.”

  “That’s a generous offer, Harrison. In light of what I put you through—put your wife through—very generous. Thank you.”

  “My wife isn’t angry with you or any of the folks dug in at the airport.”

  “Eli Russell,” stated Alex.

  “And Kevin McCulver. He wasn’t a bad guy when he was part of the brigade. Just couldn’t stop playing with things that go boom. Hard to believe Eli twisted him that far. Then again, I never suspected Eli was warped enough to murder his way across the county. Did your people figure out what happened with the second bomb?”

  “Hard to say. State police are sending an evidence team to work with the Sanford department. From what I could tell, the bomb detonated inside the rear stairwell on the second floor. Big hole in the brick wall facing the parking lot.”

  “Accidental detonation?” said Campbell.

  “Once again, hard to tell. Timing suggests the bomber might have been on his way down to detonate a secondary device among the arriving Marines.”

  “Suicide bombing? Doesn’t sound like Eli’s people. We’re not talking brainwashed Jihadis.”

  “My thoughts exactly, but witnesses report a man with a backpack walking into the recruiting station seconds before the bomb detonated,” said Alex.

  “Bizarre. They could have thrown the backpack through the door and remotely triggered the explosive with the same result,” said Campbell.

  “Unless they have something bigger in the works, and they’re not taking chances with a slipup,” said Alex.

  “You think the second explosion was deliberate?”

  “We’ll probably never know. There wasn’t much left to examine. How are you set for security? Eli might have a sizeable group.”

  “We’re good. Most of the chapter members have brought their families over until this Eli thing blows over. Not taking any chances that he might remember some names.”

  “Smart move. We’ll monitor the HAM radio 24/7 in case you run into a problem. You know our station ID, so don’t hesitate to call,” said Alex.

  “Be a lot easier with one of these,” he said, holding out a translucent shopping bag containing the ROTAC handhelds.

  “Trust me, these are more trouble for you than they’re worth. The RRZ can track these,” said Alex. “I didn’t want to tell you when I called, because I suspect they can listen to our transmissions.”

  “Shit. I put a tracking device in the hands of every chapter.”

  “Take this as a good sign. If they wanted to keep a close eye on the brigade, they wouldn’t have asked me to collect them.”

  Campbell barely smirked.

  “I’m trying to find anything positive about the RRZ.”

  “Good luck with that,” said Campbell. “I’ll get back to you later about a possible joint search effort.”

  “You know where to find me.”

  Chapter 30

  EVENT +17 Days

  Forward Operating Base “Lakeside”

  Regional Recovery Zone 1

  Fiery orange rays of late afternoon sunlight crowned the tree canopy surrounding the clearing, distinct from the shadowy forest behind the Marine encampment. Kate peered into the growing dusk, waiting for Alex’s vehicle to emerge. News of the attack in Sanford was unwittingly delivered to the house by Staff Sergeant Taylor, who momentarily forgot that the house Motorola was tuned to the FOB’s security channel.

  After sending a Matvee to reinforce the HESCO position guarding the entrance to Gelder Pond Lane, Taylor was bombarded with questions when he delivered one of the Marines to the sandbag position on the back deck. He cracked easily under the pressure of three mothers demanding more information.

  This led to a heated daylong debate about the pros and cons of staying at the compound, dominated by Ed’s end-of-the-world predictions and sudden outbursts demanding that the Marines immediately escort them north to the Thorntons’ lake house. Charlie and Linda stayed mostly neutral, b
ut Kate could sense that they wanted out of FOB Lakeside just as much as the Walkers. She understood why. The Limerick property had turned into a mental and physical prison, despite the robust protection delivered by the Marines.

  The discovery of Jeffrey Brown’s surveillance post on Old Middle Road had unnerved everyone, rendering the simple pleasure of sitting on the porch impossible. Every glance at the impenetrable forest left you wondering if you’d just taken your last breath. Forget about letting the kids out of the house. Same problem—but worse. Logically, Kate knew the forest was clear of intruders. The Marines patrolled regularly during the day and took up positions in the forest at night. Odds were stacked against anyone slipping through the Marine security perimeter.

  Daily, she tried to convince the group that staying here was everyone’s best option, but her faith in the option had waned. Even Alex, who had lobbied heavily against leaving, seemed less enthusiastic about defending his position. They had reached the inevitable crossroads. Should they stay, or should they go? Ed had been ready to go six hours ago, but she asked him to wait until Alex returned before reaching a decision—or leaving. She made sure to reinforce the danger of running into Eli’s men on the road, which seemed to cool him off temporarily.

  She heard the Matvee’s deep rumble, then spotted the grayish-tan vehicle racing through the trees. She waited for Corporal Lianez to execute a three-point turn and park the Matvee facing the exit road before jogging across the gravel driveway toward the assembly area. Alex rushed out, hugging her tightly, and the Marines disappeared into the tent.

  “I really missed you today,” she said, kissing him.

  “It wasn’t a good day to be away. I’m sorry. The shit never stopped rolling in my direction.”

  “Same here. Ed’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The rest aren’t too far behind.”

  “How are you holding up?” he said.

  “I’m fine, I guess.”

  “You guess?” he said, his eyes shifting to the DRASH tent. “Let’s check out the lake.”

  “Uhhh, sure,” she said, taking his arm.

  The fact that Alex felt uncomfortable discussing their situation in front of the Marines didn’t boost her confidence. Neither did her reluctance to take a sunset stroll on her own property. Something had to change. He waited until they had put about thirty feet behind them.