The Changing Earth Series (Book 4): Battle for the South

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “Don’t even think about it, sir,” the sergeant told him, seeing the direction Bennet’s thoughts were headed. “Major Virgis gave me strict orders to get you to Nevada.”

  The men ascended the stairs and exited an abandoned home outside the city walls. Jensen had a black Chevy truck with a camper shell waiting for them. Jensen and Bennet loaded into the cab while Dex rode with Trucker, Johnny, and Smith in the back. It was going to be a long, hot drive.

  It was quiet in the back. Each man was lost in their own thoughts. They munched on jerky. Dex shared the pemmican bars that Betsy had given him, and they drank the water Jensen had stocked the truck with. After days of minimum rations and little water it was a delightful change. After their bellies had food in them it wasn’t long until Corporal Smith was asleep, leaving Johnny and Dex staring at one another.

  “I’m sorry for what I said, Johnny,” Dexter admitted sheepishly.

  “It’s cool, bro,” Johnny said, acting like the words had not added salt to a festering wound.

  “No, it’s not. It was a messed-up thing to do and I really wish I hadn’t,” Dexter admitted.

  “Yeah, it was a dickhead thing to say but I get you,” Johnny countered. “You didn’t know if your brother and grandparents were alive or not, and man does it hurt.”

  “Doesn’t it?” Dex replied.

  “The thing is…” Johnny started to say but then stopped, lost in thought.

  “Yeah?” Dex urged him to continue.

  “The last time my dad and I talked I told him he was an idiot for staying and hung up on him.” Johnny choked out the words with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t say goodbye, or I love you.”

  Johnny put his face in his hands, hiding in shame.

  “He knows, Johnny.” Dexter tried to console him. “He knows you love him.”

  “But, I didn’t tell him and now, I may never get to,” Johnny cried quietly.

  Dexter didn’t have an answer and Johnny didn’t want one. He just needed a friend and Dexter was his closest one he had. They talked about light-hearted subjects before drifting off to sleep themselves. It had been a long week and they were exhausted.

  While the young men slept, the truck was ferried across the Ogallala Lake. Bennet noticed other ferries that were busy taking Militiamen across as well. It’s the force aiming for the western wall, Bennet assumed. He wished they would have been sharing a ferry with them, but their boat was loaded with refugees headed to escape the Federal Forces in the badlands.

  Luckily for the citizens fleeing, most of the eastern side of the Western Region’s wall had been demolished when the Ogallala Reservoir caved in and formed the Ogallala Lake. The mismanagement of funds in the western region left the parts they did rebuild full of holes. If the force he was watching had any say in it, the Western Region wouldn’t have their southern gate long either. Bennet was concerned, though; he knew there were large amounts of Federal Forces bases in New Mexico by the gate. I hope Erika’s not headed there, he thought. Hell, she could be in that convoy right over there, for all I know. She’s on her own now.

  His orders were taking him to Major Virgis. He needed to find out what the new command structure looked like. The Militia were on the move and Bennet knew it was only a matter of time until they would be fighting side by side.

  After exiting the ferry, the truck made its way across New Mexico. Bennet slept. The truck was loaded with tanks of fuel, and the guys didn’t stir during the first two fill-ups Jensen made. The gates to the badlands had been abandoned. The Mercenaries used to maintain them, but with the threat of the Federal Forces they pulled back to watch them from afar. There were no problems crossing into Arizona. But then, Jensen headed in a northwesterly direction to avoid the Las Vegas Refugee Facility and the Federal Forces base located there.

  The young men were glued to the windows as they looked out at what Reno had become. Both Johnny and Dexter had just left this sleepy little badland town a couple of weeks ago and the change was incredible. The soldiers patrolling the area wore Mercenary patches and tents were everywhere as far as the eye could see. They made their way to the heart of the new city where the permanent structures that had been rebuilt after the quake still existed.

  They passed D’lores’s Place on the way to the Mercenary headquarters. D’lores ran a successful brothel before and after the quake. Her love of medicine spurred her investment in a large medical complex beneath her business. One of her doctors, Sam, had saved Daniel’s life. It was a common practice for the feds to implant tracking devices into the refugees. Daniel’s chip was a new and improved device that had a kill switch that would activate upon removal. When Sam took Daniel’s out without killing him, Sam made history. The system had been thwarted.

  Dexter’s eyes filled with tears as they pulled up to a greeting party composed mostly of his family: Star, Daniel, and his Grandma and Grandpa Moore. They were all there. His demeanor changed when he looked to his friend. Johnny knew his father would not be there waiting for him, and he sat staring at the floor, waiting for the truck to stop so he could find a quiet place to cry.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dex said to Johnny, hugging him as the truck stopped.

  “Don’t be, bro,” Johnny tried to say cheerfully. “Go get ’em.”

  Dexter leapt from the back of the truck into the arms of his waiting family. Trucker spun in joy, going up to each of them, and licking them.

  “Where’s Jack?” Dex wondered.

  Jack was the other dog they had saved when they rescued Trucker.

  “He didn’t make it, Dex,” his grandpa said flatly. “But he sure fought one hell of a fight.”

  “I bet he did. Damn, it’s good to see you guys. I was so worried. How’d you make it out?” Dex wondered.

  “Where’s Mom and Dad?” Daniel demanded.

  “I think they are with the Militia,” Dex answered his brother. “Why did they go, Star?”

  “Bennet didn’t tell you?” Star asked as Bennet approached with Major Virgis behind him.

  “No, I didn’t and now is not the time or the place, Star,” Bennet thundered. “We need a plan for all these people first.”

  “What ever you say…sir,” Star agreed reluctantly, eyeballing Johnny getting off the bus. “Where are you headed?” she questioned Johnny.

  “Nowhere special,” Johnny replied solemnly.

  “You’re coming with us then,” Star insisted, grabbing the young man by the hand.

  “There’s a lot to catch up on, guys, and you must be ready for a shower,” Grandma Kay said to them. “Let’s go back to the tent and try to sort this out.”

  Chapter 22

  Much to the dismay of Eli Salo, Erika was reveling in cheers from the troops as they drove by the jeep she was in, headed to take a defensive stance behind the tank. She, Vince, and Kyle were awaiting specifics on what their job was going to be. Eli had avoided the interaction until now.

  “You three are going with ‘B’ squad to clear the trenches on the left side of the gate,” he told Vince flatly, avoiding eye contact with Erika.

  “Our tank should be able to take the concrete gun embankments to the left and right of the gate. We need you to clear the trench and infiltrate the embankments to the left and right of the railroad tracks. You will be reporting to Franz Johansson. Take the embankments and head back to the gate. You’ll be under heavy sniper fire until Cassidy’s main squad can eliminate the threat. Are we clear?” Eli asked, making sure they knew their task.

  “Yes, sir,” Vince and Kyle replied.

  “Can you handle that, Mrs. Hero?” Eli asked, looking directly at Erika.

  “Yes, sir,” Erika replied respectfully.

  Eli walked away briskly to join the men at the lead of the line.

  “Well, he certainly has no love lost for you, babe,” Vince teased.

  “I get it,” Erika retorted.

  They joined the squad and slowly crept up the highway. Each jeep was armed with machine guns and on the ready
. They awaited the flare.

  “What are you doing?” Vince wondered, watching his wife dig to the bottom of her pack.

  “The thermal cloaks.” Erika was pulling hers out.

  “The what?” Kyle wondered.

  “They’re a handy piece of tech we got off a guy in the badlands,” Erika answered him, watching Vince dig his out.

  Even though Erika had done her best to try to clean them in the sink at the governor’s compound, they still stunk of death from their trip here.

  “Cool,” Kyle said, carefully steering the jeep while looking at the cloaks.

  “The sensors detect the ambient temperature around the cloak and change the temperature to match, concealing the user,” Vince told him, strapping the cloak over his gear.

  The conversation ended abruptly as an explosion was heard in the distance. The flare went up and the caravan started rolling.

  As they neared the gates, gunfire was coming from everywhere. The jeeps blasted at the feds on the side of the roads as they kept creeping closer. Machine gun fire spewed from the embankments on either side of the gate until, boom, the tank blasted one of them into smithereens.

  Kyle brought the jeep to a halt and Erika jumped out, following tightly behind Vince. They were bringing up the rear of “B” squad and Erika jumped over the dead bodies staring up at her as they struggled to keep up.

  Sniper fire rained down, taking out Militia soldiers as they ran through the trenches to the first embankment. Franz ordered half of the group up the hill to infiltrate it. The rest of the group pressed on. Then, bam, Erika was blown forward as an explosion ignited the embankment behind them. They dove into the tunnel under the railroad tracks as the sniper fire pinned their troop in tight.

  “Damn that sniper,” Franz cursed. “We’ve got to get that embankment taken out, so our men can exit the back of the train.”

  “We’ve got this,” a cloaked Vince said as he approached Franz. “That sniper won’t see us.”

  Erika was right at his side, explosives ready. Machine gun held fast.

  “We’ve taken the trench guards. Go for it,” Franz replied, as the two ran forward in their shrouds.

  Vince and Erika slunk to the side of the trench under the encampment and stood on the bloodied bodies of the dead federal soldiers.

  “You ready?” Vince asked, his eyes wide, body pumping with adrenaline.

  “Let’s do this!” Erika replied.

  The gunfire was deafening and the muzzle flashes blinding as they launched out of the trench. They ran across the expanse as fast as their legs would carry them and hid on either side of the door. The snipers hadn’t seen them.

  Pulling explosive grenades from their belts, they each launched one inside of the embankment and ran back to the cover of the trench. The structure blew into a ball of flames, scattering concrete around them. The Militia soldiers poured out of the boxcars with guns blazing at the feds, coming out of the railroad gate. Cassidy must still be alive, Erika noted as the sniper fire ended.

  “Well done,” Franz announced as he turned to lead the team back through the trench.

  As they approached the gate, it began to open, and Erika watched a large military truck roll onto the street armed with what Erika thought was a huge cannon. The massive gun fired and ripped right through the tank, turning it into an enormous ball of flames. Then the oversized barrel lined up with a row of jeeps and ripped right through the entire row like they were made of balsa wood. All that was left was flaming metal, glowing in the distance.

  In a trance from the horror unfolding, a large explosion suddenly hit the ground in front of them. Erika was blown off her feet. In a daze, her ears ringing, she tried to see through the dust. Soldiers were at the gates with rocket launchers. Getting her bearings, she checked to see if Vince was alright. He was stunned but up in a moment. Kyle was alive but unconscious. The dirt hovered thickly in the air, concealing the team from afar but Erika could see through it. She saw Franz’s body blown in half, along with two other men that were leading the charge.

  “They won’t fire at the wall,” Erika frantically told Vince.

  “Let’s go,” Vince responded, shouldering Kyle’s limp body.

  “Come on, guys, this way,” Erika yelled to the remaining soldiers in the trench.

  They joined a large group of Militiamen along the wall as the cannon blasted again.

  “What kind of gun is that?” Erika wondered.

  “I don’t know but if they don’t take it out, it’s gonna destroy all our heavy artillery,” Vince answered.

  They pressed forward, watching Eli’s soldiers flee their vehicles and pressing forward on foot.

  Blam, another blast from a rocket launcher exploded in the distance, shrouding the view of the jeeps in dust.

  Phillip Johnson’s team had engaged from the northern side of the wall now. Most of the Militia artillery was destroyed to the south, so the fed’s main gun relocated to attack the new northern threat. The rocket launchers guarding the gate divided their squad in half to fight both sides. As the Militia’s explosive charges destroyed the main gate, Erika swarmed toward it. Cheers began to sound as the control vehicle for the main weapon was taken and the Militia took the wall.

  Vince grabbed Erika up into a huge hug. “We did it!” he yelled victoriously.

  The joy was palpable in the air amongst the smell of gunpowder and death. Erika stared out at the bodies littering the ground. The realities of war were sinking in, but she shook it off. Now was not the time for mourning for the lost. There would be plenty more battles to fight for the future of their country.

  Chapter 23

  Bennet thought Major Virgis looked good for the ordeal he had just been through. He was forty-five now but still had a baby face. It was smooth, and the worry lines had not left their marks behind. He didn’t have a family either, and maybe that’s why he and Bennet had become such close friends.

  There was no time to catch up now. Major Virgis had been waiting for Bennet to arrive so they could join a meeting of the high brass that was already in progress. Uncovering a bald head, Major Virgis removed his hat as he entered the building.

  The building was one of a few that had survived the Great Quake with little damage. They entered a conference hall and quietly tried to blend in, somewhere in the back. The speaker stopped talking for a moment, but there were nods of approval as the men were recognized.

  Lieutenant General James Merkley stood at the head of the table; apparently, he was in charge now. Bennet approved of the decision. Both Lieutenant General Merkley and Hollostaff had owned large defense contract companies before the Great Quake. It was these and so many more private defense companies that had joined together to form the Mercenary Army after the Great Quake.

  Lieutenant General Hollostaff was known to be moody and make aggressive decisions. Hollostaff stood next to Merkley, but it was clear he was not the commanding officer.

  They were discussing the need to promote someone to Major General because Mike Barns had been killed in the Northern Invasion. Col. Chan Lee was the obvious choice because he had owned a large homeland security training company before the quake and currently oversaw the Mercenary training procedures.

  Col. Chuck Stone was under federal arrest in Dallas, but would soon be freed as the Militia moved in to take Dallas back.

  The final option was Col. Emma Payne. She had an exemplary career with the Marines before retiring and joining a defense company. She was a security specialist and enjoyed being a liaison between the high brass and the lieutenant colonels.

  With the promotion of Chan Lee, they would have to promote someone to colonel. Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.) Lawrence Diaz was sitting in a federal prison with General McClintock. There was a suggestion of going in to free them, but they were in the heart of the capital. The mercenaries would have to cut supplies and slowly choke it out, and it was doubtful the imprisoned officers would last that long.

  That left Lt. Col. Andre Ward
and Jordon Mayer up for the promotion. Ward was in Montana and had a pulse on the western walls and a strong relationship with the Native populations in the Northwest.

  Mayer was in Louisiana wedged between the central wall and the battleships in the Mississippi Sea. He would have a very complicated strategic position before too long.

  Bennet’s eyes began to droop as he listened to the debate roll on over what the command structure would be. In the end, they decided to promote Ward. Now, there were two open positions for Lt. Col. that needed to be filled.

  Many members of the Militia leadership had been killed or arrested, so Major Virgis was promoted to Lt. Col. and MSgt Bennet was promoted to First Sergeant (1st Sgt).

  Bennet perked up as he listened to the plans for a counterstrike. The strategy would be to take out the Federal Forces in the West and push the feds back to the other side of the Ogallala Lake. The Militia were already taking back the South. They would unite those soldiers to start blockading the Federal Army. The refugees stuck in the badlands would proceed behind the bulk of the army to hold the line and be out of harm’s way when the flood came in. Then they would press north and squeeze the Central Region from both sides.

  The first target would be sweeping the remaining feds out of the badlands, so they did not have to worry about being attacked from behind. There were still some big bases left throughout what was once Nevada, and one sat right outside of Las Vegas.

  The estimation was it would take about a month to be able to take Las Vegas and free the refugees, given the amount of men the Federal Forces still had in place. “1st Sgt Bennet, it did not help our case against the Federal Governing Board when Vince and Erika Moore could not be presented for verification that the conditions of their probation were being honored. Do you know where they are now?” Merkley asked him.

  “Yes, sir. They are with the Southern Militia. They are either headed to the South-western wall or Dallas,” Bennet replied.

  “We shall know soon enough,” Merkley responded. “After all they did to help the cause, I would hate to lose them. With that said, we can’t expend another force to get them back here.”