Patriots Unleashed

by Robert Boren

  “I don’t see why not,” Richardson said. “I want to take this yacht and the patrol boats to cover us, just in case.”

  Harley trotted over. “You guys getting ready to do something?”

  Richardson nodded. “Yeah, Wallis said we should get rid of these bodies now. I suggested we take them out to sea in one of the boats we don’t want, and sink it.”

  Harley snickered. “Sounds like fun. You want me to go along, or hold down the fort here?”

  “We’re all gonna go,” Richardson said.

  “Why, honey?” Lita asked.

  “Because as of now, we’ve only got one phone with the apps on it, and we all need to be where that is,” Richardson said.

  “Oh,” Lita said. “Good point.”

  “Well, if we’re gonna go, we’d better get to it,” Brendan said. “Wind’s coming up. We should get it done and get back here before it gets worse.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Harley said. “You don’t want to mess with the gulf.”

  “We should take this yacht,” Juan Carlos said. “Towing that old yacht might be too much for our patrol boats.”

  “Yep,” Harley said. “I’ll get my boat ready to go.”

  “I’ll drive the yacht, if you want,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Sounds good,” Richardson said. “We’ll get you rigged to tow the hulk. Then we’ll catch up in our patrol boat.”

  “Let’s get these bodies loaded into the hulk,” Brendan said.

  “We’ll drag them down there,” Hannah said. She and Madison pulled them to where the old yacht was tied. Brendan and Juan Carlos loaded the bodies into the back. Richardson brought a couple ropes over and tied them to the bow cleats.

  “Let’s push her out, and somebody can hold onto her by these ropes,” Richardson said. “Juan Carlos, might as well fire up the other yacht. You sure it’s seaworthy enough to take the seas out there?”

  “Yeah,” Juan Carlos said. “It wasn’t damaged, remember? Just disabled by the owner.” He trotted over to the yacht with Madison. They both got on, and he fired up the engine. “See, purrs like a kitten.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

  “You worried?”

  “I get seasick on big boats when the water is rough,” she said. “Sorry.”

  Juan Carlos chuckled. “Don’t worry, we won’t be out there long.”

  Lita took the ropes from Richardson. “I’ll hold them, honey.”

  Richardson nodded, handing them to her, then joined Brendan to help Hannah untie the good yacht. Harley idled over in his patrol boat.

  “Glad we could save that one,” he yelled. “She’s a beauty.”

  “Yeah, wish I could keep her after the war,” Juan Carlos shouted back.

  “With this gun?” Madison asked.

  Juan Carlos laughed. “Undo four big bolts and it’s off. We could live aboard this sucker.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get past the war, okay? And we’d better pick a place where we can raise kids. A boat might not be optimum.”

  He smiled. “You have a point, honey. That’s the top priority.” He put the engines into reverse and backed the boat out, then idled it towards the other boat, which was free-floating. Richardson trotted over to Lita and took the ropes from her.

  “Hey, Juan Carlos, get close enough so I can toss you these ropes.”

  “Got it,” Juan Carlos said.

  “I’ll catch them, honey,” Madison said.

  “Don’t fall overboard,” Juan Carlos said.

  “Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. Richardson made the toss, and she caught the ropes. “What do we tie them to?”

  Juan Carlos put the boat into neutral, and rushed to the stern, taking the ropes. He tied them to cleats on the back. “That ought to do it. Can you watch while I pilot?”

  “Of course.” She sat on one of the padded seats along the port side, and turned towards the boat. “Sad. That old boat was probably somebody’s pride and joy.”

  “Yeah,” Juan Carlos said. He got back into the pilot’s chair and cruised towards the mouth of the bay, the tow line getting taught, the old hulk snapping behind them, water rushing around its bow. “That’s a heavy boat.”

  “I’ll bet,” Madison said. “It’s bigger than this boat.”

  “Yep. Harley is following us, right?”

  “Yes, and Richardson just left the dock in our patrol boat,” she said. “It already feels a little rough.”

  “Wish we would’ve done this earlier. Here goes nothing.” He steered the yacht outside of the breakwater and sped up, the bow crashing through waves.

  “I don’t like this,” Madison said.

  “Don’t worry, this boat can take it,” Juan Carlos said.

  “It’s not the boat I’m worried about.”

  “How’s that line?” he asked.

  “Tight but holding well. The other boat is bouncing around a lot. How are we going to sink it?”

  “That’s the least of our worries,” Juan Carlos said. “Either the mini gun or the grenade launcher on one of the patrol boats would do the job.”

  The boats were in the whitecaps now, water hammering the hulls as they moved forward slowly.

  “What if the US Navy sees us and think’s we’re bad guys?” Madison asked.

  “The patrol boats are marked,” Juan Carlos said. “I’m more worried about enemy boats.”

  “I thought the Navy controlled the gulf now.”

  “They do, but the gulf is big. The Navy can’t be everywhere at all times,” Juan Carlos said. “I’ll be glad when we get rid of that old tub back there. Makes it hard to maneuver in seas like this.”

  “It’s getting worse,” Madison said. “The wind is getting stronger. How far out do we have to go?”

  “Good question. Hopefully no more than a mile or two.” He scanned the horizon, feeling like a sitting duck. “Wish I would’ve taught you how to fire the mini-gun.”

  “We’ve got the two patrol boats protecting us. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”

  Juan Carlos tried to calm himself down. “Yeah, sorry. The chances of us running into anybody are slim.”

  They chugged along, Madison feeling queasier as the minutes went by. “I’m gonna get sick.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Juan Carlos said, glancing back as she hugged the rail and threw up into the water. “Hold on tight. Big swell coming.”

  The boat rolled over it, Madison grabbing the rail tighter in a panic. “Isn’t this far enough?”

  “I’ll text the boss,” Juan Carlos said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He sent a text to Richardson. “It’ll take him a minute or two to respond, I suspect.”

  “Send it to Lita,” Madison shouted. He nodded and did that. His phone dinged a few seconds later.

  “This is far enough.” He pulled the throttles back but left the engines running. “You okay?” he asked as he went back to the stern.

  “No,” Madison said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Am I the only person who got sick?”

  “Don’t know, honey,” Juan Carlos said as he untied the ropes, tossing them into the water.

  “You aren’t going to save those?”

  “Nah, there’s plenty back at the base, and I don’t want that hulk too close in seas like this.” He got back into the pilot’s chair and started them moving again, making a turn to head back to the harbor. “Wonder who’s going to sink her?”

  “I don’t care,” Madison said. “Let’s just get back.”

  “There goes Harley,” Juan Carlos said. “Looks like he gets to do the honors.” They both watched as the sleek inboard patrol boat headed to the hulk. Richardson turned the other patrol boat around, following Juan Carlos. There was a muffled pop and an explosion on the hulk, flames starting on the rear deck.

  “Crispy critters coming up,” Juan Carlos cracked. He looked at Madison, who was still fighting the seasickness.

  “Can’t we
go faster?”

  “It’ll get rougher if we do,” Juan Carlos said. “You sure?”

  “Can’t get any worse than this,” she said, turning to retch into the water again.

  “He needs to hit that thing a couple more times for it to sink.”

  Harley fired two more grenades at the burning hulk as it rose and fell in the rough water. There was a secondary explosion inside, and more fire, but the boat still floated.

  “Why isn’t it sinking?” Madison asked.

  “Don’t worry, it will,” Juan Carlos said. He watched Harley shoot two grenades, and then there was a huge explosion, blowing pieces of the boat in all directions.

  “Oh, shit, Harley got hit with something!” Madison shouted. Debris rained around them, a couple of burning pieces landing on the rear deck. Madison picked them up and tossed them overboard. “Was that the gas tanks?”

  “No,” Juan Carlos said under his breath. “That sucker was rigged.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind,” he said.

  “Richardson just drove over to Harley’s boat. I can’t see him now. He must have passed out. Brendan just jumped in.”

  “We need to get back to base now,” Juan Carlos said.

  “They’re taking off,” Madison said. Juan Carlos nodded and sped up, the big yacht crashing through the waves.

  Chapter 5 - Memorial

  A gentle breeze blew over the dusty town of Truth Or Consequences. “Ready to go?” Jason asked, looking out the windshield of the motor home.

  “I’m almost done dressing Chelsea,” Carrie said from the bathroom. “This will be hard. I got to love Moe.”

  “I know, me too,” Jason said. “We’re lucky we’ve had so few losses.”

  “That might change,” Carrie said, walking out with Chelsea.

  “We’re lucky?” Chelsea asked. “Do we get ice cream?”

  “No, sweetie,” Carrie said. “Uncle Moe is going to heaven. We’re going to say goodbye.”

  Jason shot her a worried glance.

  “What?” Carrie whispered as they went to the door.

  “I hope this doesn’t mess with her too much,” Jason whispered.

  “All we can do is shield her as best we can. I don’t want to hide the death of somebody she knew from her.”

  “I know,” Jason said, pushing the door open. He held it as Carrie and Chelsea walked down, looking out over the rows of RVs and tents. They had a multitude with them, including half of the Mescalero tribe.

  “Hi,” Kim said, walking up with Brenda and Rachel.

  “Where’s the men?” Carrie asked.

  “They’ll be along,” Kim said. “They were talking with Curt, over by his rig.”

  “This is gonna be hard,” Rachel said. “So sad.”

  Brenda nodded in agreement, her face lighting up as Kelly and Junior trotted over to them.

  “How’s Curt and Amanda doing?” Jason asked.

  “Shook up,” Junior said, putting his arm around Rachel. “Sydney and Don are over there too. They’ll be along in a few minutes.”

  There was a park across the street from where they were camped, with a large band shell. The funeral services were to happen there, and people crossed the deserted street, filling the area in front of it. Clancy was sitting next to Moe’s body, which was in a coffin that a local company had provided.

  “Poor Clancy,” Carrie said, tears brimming in her eyes.

  “I know, he’s taking this hard,” Brenda said, “not that I blame him.”

  “Moe was all the family he had,” Kelly said. “This reminds me of when we lost Nate and Gray.”

  “I know, honey,” Brenda said, looking up at him.

  Stanton Hunt approached in full tribal dress with a delegation from his people. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Jason said. “We need to talk after this. I’ve gotten okay to provide you and two of your people with the apps.”

  “Really?” Stanton asked. “I’m surprised, since it’s so important to keep secret.”

  “General Hogan was rescued,” Jason said.

  Stanton smiled, his eyes tearing up. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

  “He was reluctant to give up the apps until he realized it was your group,” Jason said. “He’s obviously got great respect for you.”

  “Well, the feeling is mutual,” Stanton Hunt said.

  “We’d better get up there,” Jason said, his eyes starting to burn. Keep it together. He nodded to Clancy as he got near the front, who returned the nod with reddened eyes.

  After everyone was assembled, Clancy stood up in front of the microphone.

  “Thank you all for coming.” He looked out over the crowd, many weeping. “I’ll try to be brief.”

  The murmurs of the crowd died down to a whisper.

  “I remember when your group first came to Fort Stockton,” Clancy said. “Everyone was afraid. Many residents argued against your group taking shelter there. They thought it would make our RV park a target. Moe knew that it would. He also knew what was right, and he loved Texas with a fervor that moved others. He convinced everyone that it was the right thing to do. Even after all that happened, Moe never regretted that decision. It gave renewed focus to his life, and made him strive to be the best man he ever was.”

  Several people were sobbing now. Jason couldn’t contain himself. Neither could Chance, nor Kelly, nor Junior.

  “So, we say goodbye to Moe today, and shed our tears, and honor him as a hero. He will be with us during the coming battles, in all of our hearts. Thank you all. If anybody would like to say some words, come on up.”

  The crowd clapped, so many crying. Jason looked over at Carrie. “I’d better go up there before I get in worse shape.”

  Carrie nodded through her tears, and picked up Chelsea, who was getting upset with all the adults crying around her.

  “What’s wrong, mommy?”

  “We’re all sad,” Carrie said.

  “Why?”

  “Because we can’t see Moe anymore,” Carrie said, not able to hold back the tears any longer. Chelsea put her head on her mom’s chest, not understanding, trying to comfort her mother.

  Jason walked to the microphone, fighting to compose himself.

  “This is so difficult,” he said. “Moe was a part of all of us. He was our protector, and our partner, and our fellow warrior, and our friend. He went way out on a limb for us, people he’d never met, because he knew that Texas needed him to do so. It didn’t take long for us to gain mutual respect and love. Now we are a much larger group, engaged in an epic battle against evil. We would not be at the strength we are now if not for Moe, nor would we have our current resolve. Moe will be on my mind forever, and I’ll miss him. Thanks.”

  “Thank you, Jason,” Clancy said. “I know how much respect Moe had for you.”

  Jason nodded and walked back over to Carrie.

  “Chelsea okay?” he asked.

  Carrie nodded yes, eyes red now, cheeks wet with tears.

  Many members of the group came up to say words, including Stanton Hunt. Then the group moved from the band shell, everybody going to the rows of picnic tables to eat barbeque. Many residents of Truth or Consequences were there, to pay respects and serve.

  Jason caught Stanton’s eye, and they met off to one side of the picnic area, where Jason loaded the apps onto his phone, and two other phones. He walked them through how the apps worked.

  “This will win us the war, I believe,” Stanton said.

  “It has the potential to do so, but it’s going to be a long battle,” Jason said. “Use the long-range app to look around the country. We’re infested. There will be many more battles, and many more services like the one today.”

  Stanton and his lieutenants looked, eyes growing wide. “My God, look at Washington DC,” Stanton said. “They’re running the country, aren’t they?”

  “Yes,” Jason said.

  “What are the near-term plans?” St
anton asked.

  “We’ve been asked to ruin I-40, starting near the Arizona border,” Jason said. “After that job is done, we’ll probably go back to Texas. Bad things are brewing there. Look at Dallas.”

  Stanton moved the long-range app view to that part of Texas, his brow furrowed. “That’s not good.”

  “No, it’s not,” Jason said. “Now that we’ve shut down I-25, we’re getting a lot of enemy troop activity along our western border. Look at the Big Bend area. The numbers are growing daily. We’ve got a lot of people down there, but not enough to handle that level of problem.”

  “I see,” Stanton said. “Maybe we should go back to Texas with you.”

  “Maybe,” Jason said. “There is New Mexico to worry about, though. This is your home. You’ll want to take it back. Look up by Santa Fe.”

  Stanton moved the view to that area. “Wow. That might be more than we can handle on our own.”

  “The US Airforce will probably help some,” Jason said. “You should talk to Don and Sydney about their social media operation. There are lots of able bodied people out there who would join the fight. We’ve used social media to do that in Texas. It’s been a game-changer.”

  “I’ll talk to them,” Stanton said. “Now go be with your family and friends.”

  “You are part of my family and friends,” Jason said, “and you guys saved our lives in the battle. We will never forget that.”

  “Well, in a manner of speaking, you have saved us as well,” Stanton said.

  Jason nodded, then went back over to Carrie, who was sitting with the rest of the core group.

  “You gave him the apps?” Kyle asked.

  Jason nodded yes.

  “Good,” Kyle said. “When do we fight again?”

  “Soon,” Jason said. “Start watching I-40 close to the Arizona border on the apps. All of us need to. We need to get an understanding of enemy troop movements and positions there.”

  “We don’t have to start that today, do we?” Sydney asked.

  “No, not today,” Jason said. “I told Stanton Hunt to talk to you and Don about the social media operation. Tell him everything. They’re going to need help with the base in Santa Fe.”

  “You don’t think we’re going to attack there?” Don asked.