by Mark Church
The commanders perk up at the mention of ‘Operation Terminus’. Having only a cursory knowledge on the timing of the operation, the commanders are anxious to hear more details.
Gage continues, “Congress has instructed that we complete the RZ cleanup before initiating Operation Terminus. While that approach has some merit, there is also an advantage to initiating Terminus as soon as possible.”
The commanders nod their heads in agreement.
One commander asks, “Can’t we do both?”
The general nods, “In a limited way, we can, which is why I want each territory to form a small exploratory force designed to probe rebel positions while leaving the balance of your forces to finish the RZ cleanups. The objective of this approach is twofold. It achieves Congress’ primary goal while giving us a head start in our campaign against the rebels. My hope is that the intelligence gathered during these incursions will provide us with tactical data needed to gauge rebel strength and capability.
The strategy is well received by the commanders. They have been anxious to get back to military operations.
“How quickly should we be prepared to deploy our exploratory forces?” asks another commander.
“As soon as you return to your command. And while this isn’t necessarily a clandestine operation, I’m sure you can all appreciate the need to limit any form of disclosure here in DC.”
The commanders understand that the general is going out on a limb here. He has issued an order that is inconsistent with the Congress’ directive. In the end, they know their general has their back, which only serves to reinforce their loyalty to him. This may prove pivotal in the days and months ahead.
8 allies and alliances
The inhabitants of the Refuge greet the new day at first light. Stoking the wood burning stoves and preparing hot tea are top priorities. Breakfast will come later. The frost on the windowpanes begins to melt away as the heat from the stoves fight to warm the chilly air.
The group assembles in the main room. They discuss their new friends while mapping out objectives and priorities for the meeting later in town. The consensus remains that Jake, John, and Kate will represent their community.
While Cole and Kayla have more than a passing interest in the conversation, they have other, more pressing things on their minds. They want to make the most of what promises to be an adventure filled day when they hike to the Ranger Station. Retrieving their backpacks, they waste no time packing a lunch and other items required for their trip.
“Do you think we’ll need this?” Kayla holds up a first aid kit.
“Superman has no use for a first aid kit,” Cole jokes.
Kayla playfully twists up her face and pokes out her tongue before putting it in her pack.
“I also brought a flashlight and stuff to make a fire,” Cole continues. “While I don’t plan on spending the night in the woods, it’s better to be prepared.”
Kayla’s confidence in Cole continues to grow. She feels safe when she is with him, a comfort which makes her feelings for him even stronger.
All they have left to do is eat breakfast before they set out on their journey.
“Mom,” yells Kayla from the kitchen, “do you want me to start breakfast.”
Knowing that Kayla and Cole are anxious to start their day, Amy calls back, “That’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”
“And I’ll help your mom,” yells Gena, who just entered the main room.
“Thanks guys,” Kayla sings out. “Cole and I will make our own.”
Cole and Kayla scramble some eggs and warm some venison jerky. The extra protein will give them energy to climb up the mountainside. After wolfing it down, they grab their packs, put on their cold weather gear, and enter the main room.
“We’re ready to go,” Kayla announces.
“Cole, take the same route that we took last time, so we know where to look if something happens,” advises Jake.
“I was planning on it.” Cole grins with a wink.
Sensing that Cole considers his directive as obvious and over-protective, Jake adds, “That’s a good idea for all of us when we go to the station.”
“You two be careful, and be back by dark, okay?” Amy cautions. She can’t help herself, worrying is an innate part of parenting.
“We will,” replies Kayla dutifully.
“And if you get in trouble,” adds Jake, “shoot three times, one right after the other. Someone will come looking for you.”
Cole pats the holster housing his .45 and says, “Roger.”
Barely able to contain their excitement, Cole and Kayla bid a final farewell before heading out into the cold morning air.
The mountaintop glows with the morning’s first rays of sunlight. It’ll still be hours before it has risen high enough to reach the valley floor, but the promise of its impending warmth is encouraging.
The duo sets off toward the backside of the Refuge where they will begin their ascent to the Ranger Station, or as it has recently been dubbed, the Outpost. Still within sight of the house, crunching leaves betray the presence of Shadow as she emerges from the underbrush and runs to greet them. Happily bounding around them, she demands attention before she allows them to continue on their way.
“Someone is fired up this morning,” laughs Kayla.
“I wonder where she left her mate.”
“Right there.” Kayla points into the wood near where Shadow appeared.
The male dog keeps pace while maintaining a sizable buffer. As they progress on their journey, he plays a cat and mouse game. He disappears into the underbrush only to reappear a few minutes later. Shadow does her best to encourage him to join her, but he continues to maintain his distance. That will all change before the day is done.
✽✽✽
Jake and his companions say their goodbyes after loading the truck. It’s 8:00 am and leaving now will give them an hour to reach their rendezvous point at the Sporting Goods store in Arcadia.
Mike opens the gate and gives them a hearty wave as they drive through the fence and head out into the pasture. Amy watches them until their truck disappears into the distance. She fights back the ominous scenarios that try to monopolize her thoughts. Her logical self knows that worry is counter-productive, but her emotional self is fighting for even time.
Sensing Amy’s distress, Gena assures her, “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. It doesn’t help that Kayla and Cole are gone, too.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of a double whammy. Come and help me feed the critters. It’ll help get your mind off of things.” Gena knows there is nothing like physical activity to distract a person from brooding.
Amy forces a smile and nods her head before setting off with Gena towards the barn. The chores in the barn do little to help Amy shake the foreboding that she has felt since waking up this morning. She finally accepts that she’s just going to have to tolerate the ominous feeling until everyone has safely returned to the Refuge.
✽✽✽
John focuses on maneuvering the truck through fire trails while Jake and Kate check their weapons. They are hopeful that they won’t need them, but they’ll be ready if they do. There is an unspoken excitement about seeing another community and making new friends. For months they have been isolated and alone, and while that wasn’t a bad thing while they were acclimating to a new lifestyle, having friends and trading partners close by is a welcome prospect.
“Let’s approach the rendezvous point from a different direction,” John proposes.
“Good idea,” Jake agrees. “That way we can discreetly size up the situation.”
“I noticed a side road yesterday that headed west about a half mile before we got to town,” Kate contributes, “That should allow us to circle around and approach from the opposite way.”
“Perfect. I’d like to see more of the area anyway.” The military man in John appreciates the defensive tactic.
✽✽✽
Once they
hit the highway, the rest of the drive goes by quickly. Within ten minutes they are just outside of town.
“There it is.” Kate points at the two-lane paved road coming in on their left. An old highway sign reads ‘206’. John turns left and cautiously follows the road while the other two scan the area for danger.
“This road must parallel the highway. Every once in a while, I get glimpses of it through the buildings and trees.” Jake observes.
Looking to his right, John nods, “Yeah, I can see it.”
“That’ll work out well since the store sits on the highway. We’ll position ourselves just west of it.”
After a short distance they see another street sign that reads ‘Main’.
“Apparently ‘206’ turns into Main Street,” John points out.
“I would guess it switched when we entered the town limits”, adds Kate.
“That’d be my guess,” agrees Jake. “It’s 8:40, so we still have twenty minutes. Let’s find the cross street that takes us to the back side of the Sporting Goods store. We’ll ditch the truck and go on foot from there.”
When they reach Pine Street John stops short of the intersection, “This is it. The intersection at the Sporting Goods store was Highway 21 and Pine Street.”
“Perfect. Let’s find a place to hide the truck.” Jake scans up and down the street for a likely shelter.
They find an old garage that is in bad shape but still standing. John backs the truck inside in case they need to make a quick getaway. They exit the vehicle, weapons in tow, and assemble in front of the truck.
Deferring to John because of his military training, Jake asks, “How do you want to do this?”
“Walk single file along the south side of the street about ten paces apart,” replies John regressing into full military mode, “that’ll make us a more difficult target.”
Jake notes John’s military knowledge and tactics which is well beyond his skillset and reflects back to their first meeting and how happy he is that they joined forces.
“I’ll take lead,” adds John. “Kate, you’ve got my six.”
Assuming that means Kate follows John, Jake says, “Okay, I’ll bring up the rear.”
Before they go, they swing the broken and rotted door of the garage closed to conceal the truck. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do.
The group moves to the corner of Main and Pine. They are hidden by a group of cedar trees. John drops to the ground and crawls through the thick stand of trees until he emerges on the other side. Using his binoculars, he can view the full length of Pine all the way to the highway. Seeing that the street is empty, John softly whistles for the others to join him. When they are all in position John whispers, “On five” before moving towards their destination. After five-seconds have passed, Kate proceeds followed by Jake five seconds after that.
The group double times it past an old diner before crossing another street to arrive at a lone house with a collapsed roof. From here they can clearly see the old Sporting Goods Store and what used to be its parking lot. It’s like they have returned to the scene of the crime given their pillaging of the store yesterday.
They scan the area, but it is deserted.
“Maybe they changed their minds,” Kate whispers.
“Possibly, but they’re not late yet, they still have five minutes to get here.” Jake finds it easier to wait than Kate does.
“Should we head on over?” Kate, eager to do something, points to the Sporting Goods store.
“Let’s wait here.” John likes their defensible position. “We can see in all directions without anyone seeing us.”
John barely gets his last sentence out before they hear the low grumble of vehicle motors.
As the sound grows closer, it becomes apparent that they are approaching from the north.
“Get down,” whisper John urgently.
The trio focuses their attention back up the street. Before long, two trucks pull into the Main/Pine intersection. They appear to be the same trucks from yesterday. After a brief pause, the lead truck slowly begins idling cautiously down Pine towards the Sporting Goods Store. The second truck remains at the intersection.
Jake and the others note a female driver and a male passenger as the first truck cruises past. The woman swings the truck into the parking lot and stops. The man on the passenger side exits the vehicle carrying a rifle and searches the area while the driver remains in the idling truck. Moments later, the man nods to his driver before going out to the street and motioning for the other truck to join them.
As the vehicle passes, they count three men and a woman. The man reenters the first truck as the second truck pulls alongside. They begin conversing through open windows.
Looking at Jake, John says, “How do you want to play it?”
Jake thinks for a moment before saying, “You and I will approach the vehicles. Kate, you’ll stay here and cover us in case something goes wrong.”
Kate nods and takes up a position where she has a clear line of fire towards the vehicles. Once she is in place, Jake and John rise from their hiding place and step out into the open field and start towards the trucks. They circle around behind the vehicles to shelter their advance. Their guns are pointed down but ready.
The vehicles’ occupants are too preoccupied with their conversation to notice the two men approaching. When they are within thirty feet of the vehicles, Jake motions for John to stop and calls out, “Hello!”
The passenger side mirror on the closest truck reflects a surprised expression from a man as he strains to see who crept up behind them. Jake recognizes him as Brian, one of the men from yesterday and one of the people that passed through his farm months ago.
Jake waves.
The side door opens before Brian steps out with a big grin on his face and says, “You guys are pretty stealthy, we didn’t see you coming.”
“That was the plan,” Jake grins in a friendly manner.
“Can’t blame you for that,” Brian cedes, “Times like these calls for an abundance of caution.”
“That they do,” agrees Jake, as the rest of Brian’s companions exit their trucks and join them at the rear of the vehicles.
In addition to their brief encounter yesterday, Jake recognizes one of the men and one of the women as Brian’s travel companions who were fleeing the soldiers. If memory serves him right, the man’s name is Tim and the woman is Kara.
After they briefly size each other up, Brian begins, “I suppose introductions are in order”
Brian introduces each member in his group followed by Jake introducing himself and then John.
“It seemed like you were a bit cautious when you arrived,” Jake probes. “Have you had problems here before?”
“Yeah,” Brian explains, “there’s a group roaming the area that prefers to loot and pillage to survive, and that includes abducting women. They’ll use violence if necessary. Have you encountered them yet?”
“Nope, but I appreciate the heads up.”
“They are a pretty rough bunch, and without any formal law and order to keep them in check, they are a very real threat.”
“Has your group had any run-ins with them?” John leans into the conversation.
“Yeah, and it didn’t end well for some of their guys. We got into a shooting match with them a few months ago. They attacked our community and we were ready for them. I’m sure it pissed them off, but they pretty much avoid us now. I guess they are looking for easier targets.” Brian earnestly lays out the danger. His hope for a friendship with the group from The Refuge requires him to share critical information.
“How many are there?” Jake considers the risks.
“Hard to tell for sure, but I’ve seen as many as twenty together at a time. I don’t know where they live nor do I care, as long as they stay clear of us.”
“Maybe they are just bidding their time and planning another attack,” suggests John.
“We know that’s a possibility, which is why we conti
nue to build alliances,” Brian agrees, “There’s strength in numbers.”
Kara enters the conversation, “We also don’t know what the government plans for us so we need to be ready if that becomes an issue.”
“Sounds like you’re doing what you can.” Jake admires the careful planning he sees in this group.
“We’re trying, and doing a pretty decent job for a bunch of novices learning on the fly.” It’s clear that Tim is worried about security on more than one level.
“You mentioned that you had over sixty in your community. How many adults?” Jake continues thoughtfully.
“Forty-five adults and seventeen children ranging in ages between one and twelve.”
“Besides your group, how many others are living in the area?” John begins to calculate the strength they might be able to pull together should danger arise.
“We are actively communicating with five other communities in the area. One west of our camp, three to the east of town and one to the north.”
“Are they large communities?”
“Give or take a few folks, each is roughly our size.”
Jake is heartened by the revelation that numerous peaceful communities exist nearby. Could this be the beginning of a new, peaceful coalition?
“Why don’t we continue this discussion on the way to our camp?” Kara suggests.
“Okay, but before we get on our way, we have one more who will be joining us.” Jake whistles and motions for Kate to step forward. She emerges from her hiding place behind the bushes and walks towards the group.
“Ahhhh – so you’re cautious, and smart,” Tim offers with a wry smile. “Not a bad quality in this day and age.”
When Kate reaches the group, Jake introduces her to their new friends. After everyone is acquainted, he turns to Tim and says, “We’re ready when you are.”
“Where’s your vehicle?” asks Kara.
“It’s hidden in an old garage just up the street.” Jake gestures toward the old building where they stashed the truck.
