by Lee West
“I’ll do it. I’ll fight. Count me in,” said Joe.
“What? No! You aren’t going anywhere near the fighting. I need you!” exclaimed Meg.
“I need to do this. It’s our country. I need to defend it.” He squeezed her hand gently as he spoke.
Meg looked stricken by the news. He wished he could comfort her but could not find a way.
“I’d like to stay and fight, but my family needs me. Is there a way to figure out where they are?” asked Mike.
“Sure is. Just head back to the intake shed. They have a list of everyone who came through one of the civilian intake zones. They’ll also have a record of who left.”
Mike stood hastily from the table. Grabbing the half-eaten tray of food, he said, “I can’t wait another minute to find them. Sorry to eat and run, but I’m out of here. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Joe, you can go to intake as well to let them know you’d like to serve. They’ll put you in the system and attach you to a ground unit.”
“Not out to sea?” asked Joe, unsure if his gamble would work.
“Probably not, but I have no idea. After the attack on the west coast, our carrier groups scrambled and have been actively patrolling the coasts in an effort to augment the Coast Guard. Even if they wanted to place you in one of those groups, there’d be no way to get you out into the gray haze. From what I can tell, our land-based resources, including Marines, are busy fighting on land. It’s on land that we need every available body to fight. I could be wrong, but since the fighting is concentrated on solid ground, my guess is that you will be land based.”
“Okay. I’ll report over there immediately,” said Joe.
Meg shifted in her seat uncomfortably. He could feel her hand becoming shaky and sweaty. Turning to her, he said, “I’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
Meg shook her head softly then turned to Riley and said, “You mentioned those with markers for Wondra are detained. What happens to them?”
“We have an experimental drug that seems to speed the recovery time from Wondra. It also appears to ease the effects of Wondra as the person is healing. Some are being treated with that, while others are simply held until their levels go down. In any case, they can’t be released. That’d be too dangerous for our side. Drugged people are doing all sorts of crazy shit to thwart the U.S. government. It’s like they think they’re resistance fighters or something. The whole thing is crazy. I’m glad to be helping win the war from my lab right here on base. As far as I can tell, serving on base is the best game in town.”
“Why did they tag us with this ink?” asked Joe. He pulled up his sleeve and rolled his forearm into the light. The nearly transparent ink glistened as the light bounced off its shiny surface.
“Anyone who hasn’t been drugged gets tagged. It’s the only way to prevent us from killing innocents. The tag even gets picked up on NVG. It’s pretty cool technology. They developed the ink years ago, but didn’t have a military application until the invasion. Like I said, the wars we have fought always involved the U.S. against a foreign force. In a fight like that, it’s pretty easy to tell who the good guys are. What we’re doing here is way harder because the bad guys could be anyone among us.”
“You said that the Chinese stole U.S. technology that allowed their equipment to survive the EMP. Could that also apply to handheld radios?” asked Joe.
“Of course. Anything with electricity, with a few exceptions, should have been fried. Why?” asked Riley.
“We used radios to communicate with one another at the university. I always wondered how those managed to survive the attack,” said Joe.
“Yes. Those were provided by the Chinese. Guaranteed,” said Riley.
“Geez. This is so wacked. Thanks for filling us in. I still can’t get over how wrong we were. Our friends from the cruise ship had us convinced that the government turned on the citizens. They sounded so sure of everything. Of course we believed them, in part because they’re professors at the university. I guess I just figured they knew things I didn’t,” said Joe.
“You weren’t alone, that’s for sure. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the lab. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Riley picked up his empty tray and quickly walked away from their table. Once he moved out of earshot, Joe turned to Meg. He cupped her face and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
“Let’s get back to our tent. We need to talk,” he said.
— 33 —
Mike walked as quickly as he could manage to the intake shed. He cursed himself as he moved for not asking about his family on the first day he arrived. By this time, he could have been home with them. That is, assuming they’d made it home safely. He never thought to inquire about his family because when they first arrived, he had still been operating under the paranoid story created by Brett and Nancy. He’d firmly believed that an out-of-control government had captured his precious family. Now those notions seemed silly to him. Over and over again he wondered how he could have been so foolish.
Once inside the intake shed, he decided to return to the same table where he had originally been processed. Standing at the table, he waited until the two women behind the desk finished their conversation and turned to him.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t we already process you?” asked one of them.
“Maybe he wants more shots! Things can get boring in our little tent city. Nothing like a few dozen shots to spice things up!” chimed in the other one.
The women seemed to be enjoying their time together. Their behavior could not have been less in sync with his own feelings at the moment. Tight-lipped, he turned back to the first one and said, “I’m looking for my family. I think they came through this facility during the very beginning of the attack.”
He stood stock-still, waiting for a reply. Tension rippled across the muscles on his back.
“We can’t help you with that!” The first woman laughed.
“You need to go to location services,” said the second one.
“Where’s that?”
“Same building toward the back. Red Cross is running it.” The woman pointed.
Without skipping a beat, the women turned from him back to their jovial conversation. He moved swiftly across the interior of the structure. He should have known the Red Cross would be running the location services. Since World War II the Red Cross had facilitated the reunification of families torn apart by the war and holocaust. Family reunification remained one of the organization’s primary objectives.
A kind-looking older woman sat under the easily identifiable Red Cross symbol. She flipped mindlessly through an old magazine as she waited for something to do.
“Hi. I’m looking to find my family and was told to come here. Can you help me?”
The woman lifted her head slowly to look at him. She appeared to be surprised that someone came to her table, as though it did not occur to her that someone would seek her assistance.
“Sure thing, sweetheart. What’s the family name?” she said with a thick Southern drawl.
“Jensen. I’m looking for my wife and kids.”
“Alright, give me a minute.” She adjusted her obese frame on the creaking chair beneath her as she flipped open a thick handwritten logbook. “Here we are. I’ve got it. What’s the first name?”
“Sharon. Sharon is my wife. You need the names of our kids too?”
“Nope. Just the missus.”
Using a ruler, she moved down the list slowly, checking each name along the way. Then she repeated the process, going back over the same list of names in her dense logbook. Finally, she adjusted her glasses and looked up at him. “I don’t have a Sharon Jensen. They haven’t come through.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Positive. I checked twice. There’s no Sharon Jensen.”
“Maybe they went to a different intake facility? Is it possible that you don’t have them because they entered from a different location?”
“I’m supposed to have a complete list. But let’s check anyway. I’ll run her name into the computer and see what happens. The digital system is supposed to be the most accurate anyway.”
“Then why use the paper log?”
“We don’t want to lose track of anyone. If the Reds hit us again, these computers will become useless. I prefer paper anyway. It’s easier on the old eyes.”
The woman typed a few things into the computer. When she finished her work, she looked at Mike and said, “Nope. Sorry. No Sharon Jensen listed.”
“Are you sure? I don’t understand? They weren’t home when I got there. It was like they vanished. They would’ve had to come through one of the intake facilities.”
“I’m sure, sweetheart. She’s not in the system. Sorry. Maybe they decided to hide out with family? We’ve had a few of those.”
“Sharon wouldn’t have done that. We have small children. Could you just check one more time? It’s Jensen. J-E-N—”
“Oh no. Did you say J-E-N? Oh goodness, where’s my mind. I looked under G. Let’s try this again.”
Mike waited with balled fists as he struggled to remain composed. He could hardly believe the woman’s mistake. Frustration swelled in him to a near boiling point. He felt like screaming at the woman but knew that would not help the situation.
“You said Sharon’s the first name?”
“Yes. Sharon Jensen. J-E-N—”
“No need to respell it. I’ve found her. Your home is out in Lawrence?”
“Yes.”
“She and two minor children were processed in the very beginning of this mess. Then they left the camp for home. That was a while ago, nearly a month.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. This time I’m absolutely sure. I’d bet they’re still at home. That area has never seen any action, so there’s no reason they would have left again.”
“Thanks!”
Mike took off from the desk, joyfully knowing that his family remained safe at home. He could be reunited with them as soon as he could get a ride back to Lawrence. If the old woman had her timing right, they would have returned home just as Mike and the others had left the house for the city. If he had only stayed in place for a day or so, they would never have been separated. The realization that Brett and Nancy’s paranoia had led to his decision to leave their home stung him.
After walking through the maze of tents, he finally found the one assigned to him. The tent city seemed oddly vacant for such a large-scale operation. He could only conclude that most people had returned home after processing.
Just as quickly as his mind soared with relief over the news of his family, his mind switched gears into extreme worry for Frank. Relief over Sharon and the kids’ situation mingled with concern for his friend Frank. Frank was like family to the Jensens. He spent most holidays with them and had been named the godfather for their children. He couldn’t just leave Frank at the university to be killed. Frank would never do that to him and he knew it. On the other hand, Frank would want him to take care of Sharon and the kids. This he also knew.
Mike lay on his cot, staring at the ceiling. Throughout the entire conflict, he had been obsessed with finding his family. Now that he knew their location and could be with them, he found himself hesitating for Frank’s sake.
— 34 —
Once inside their small tent, Joe closed the opening as best he could for privacy. The tents had been tightly spaced in order to maximize the use of space at the base, resulting in a complete lack of privacy for those occupying the shelters. People in the surrounding tents would be able to hear every word of their conversations. Mindful of this reality, Joe held his index finger to his mouth and looked at Meg. Meg nodded her head slowly, acknowledging that she understood the issue.
They sat side by side on the edge of one of the cots, holding hands. Joe leaned into her, placing his lips as close to her ear as possible. In a low whisper he said, “I need to rescue the others. I can’t just let them get killed.”
“You heard what Riley said, the whole mountain is going to be leveled. There’s nothing we can do to help them. I’m upset about it too, but I won’t lose you to save them. No way. You need to stay with me. We can return to our apartment and go back to a somewhat normal life,” she whispered.
“I hear what you’re saying, but I have to at least try to help them. My guess is that the troops don’t know about the tunnels. If I’m attached to a ground unit that’s going to the general area where the university is, then I can break away, go into the tunnels, and warn them.”
“Are you nuts? You’ll either get killed or be caught as a traitor. Neither is a good option. Besides, that’s assuming you even get to the tunnels. They could place you in a ground unit that isn’t anywhere near the university. Then what? You’re shipped west to fight over there?”
“It’ll be fine. You’ll see. I’ll get in, warn them, and then will be back as quickly as possible.”
“What if they won’t leave and you end up actually warning the enemy of the impending attack? Did you think of that? Brett, Nancy, Marvin and Ed, all of them were one more paranoid than another. It won’t work.”
“Like I said, I need to at least try. I can’t just sit back and allow them to be killed. They saved us from being on the cruise ship. I feel like we owe them.”
“I’m not sure they saved us from the cruise ship. For all we know, that ship would’ve been fine. I don’t like the whole thing. Besides, I need you with me. What’ll I do? Sit here and wait for you?”
“Yes. Just stay put. I think you’re safer here than at home. Besides, once I get back, we can go home together. You’ll see. It’ll be fine.”
“You always say things will be fine.”
“They usually are.”
Joe wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment. He tried not to allow her objections to shake his resolve to help their friends. The plan would work. He just needed to get onto one of the trucks heading to the university.
“You guys decent?” asked Mike from outside the tent.
Breaking away from their embrace, Joe said, “Sure are. Come in, Mike.”
Once Mike moved into the tiny tent, the space seemed to shrink almost immediately.
“What’s up? Did you find your family?” asked Meg.
“Sure did! They’re at home safe and sound. From what I can tell, they probably returned to our house within a day or so after we left. I think we might’ve just missed them.”
“Really? Geez. I’m sorry to hear that. This entire time you’ve been apart, worrying about them unnecessarily,” said Joe.
“You see? Once again, I’m not so sure Brett and Nancy actually helped us,” said Meg.
“I agree. I think we needed to leave the ship, but we could’ve stayed at my house for the duration and been totally fine. The Red Cross woman said those areas are safe and always have been,” said Mike.
“Can you get a ride back to them?” asked Meg.
“I haven’t looked into it. I’m going with you, Joe. I need to make sure Frank is okay. I’d never forgive myself if I did nothing while knowing he’ll be killed in the crossfire.”
“Oh no. Not another one,” said Meg, rolling her eyes.
Joe got up quickly from the cot and signaled for Mike to sit on the floor in front of them. Again he held his index finger over his mouth to try to warn Mike not to speak loudly.
Mike sat and then whispered, “My family is home safe and sound. I want to see them more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But I won’t be able to live with myself if Frank and the others get killed. Frank is my best friend and the godfather of our children. I have to try to save him.”
“Meg and I were talking about my plan when you came in. My assumption is that they probably don’t know about the tunnels. We can use that to our advantage. All we need is to get close to the university, slide into one of the tunnels, and warn them.”
“I agree, but how do we do it? And what if they w
on’t listen?” said Mike.
“Frank will probably listen. You tested clean for Wondra, and Frank has been with you for months on the cruise ship. That makes me think he’s probably clean as well,” said Joe.
“Unless being at the university has caused him to become drugged,” said Meg.
“Nothing happened to the three of us and we were there with him. So I think Joe’s right, he’s probably clean as well,” said Mike.
“Originally I thought I needed to volunteer to fight. However, Meg brought up a good point that they could send me west or to an entirely different operating theater,” said Joe.
“That would be the worst-case scenario,” said Mike.
“Exactly. That’s why I think we need to get onto a transport unit. We could simply ride out to the university area and then jump off the back of the truck. It’ll be easy,” said Joe.
“How do we get on the right truck? There’s vehicles coming and going from this place all day long. Any one of them could be the one we need.”
“I can do it,” said Meg.
Joe and Mike turned their heads to Meg at nearly the same moment.
“What are you talking about?” asked Joe.
“I’ll go to the supply shed and try to figure out where the trucks are going. People don’t suspect me of doing anything wrong. For once, I can use that to my advantage. An innocent face has to be worth more to me than getting out of a few speeding tickets.”
“A few? You’ve successfully talked your way out of more speeding tickets than anyone I know!” Joe laughed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment! I like the idea of sneaking onto campus rather than volunteering to fight. You guys are right, we need to at least try to save them,” said Meg.
“It’s a good plan. Also, if we’re caught, we could claim we had no idea of the truck’s destination. That could work,” said Mike thoughtfully.
