Storm Front

by Thomas A. Watson

  Getting settled behind the GAU, Nelson saw Gerald get out and pick up the empty Javelin tube. “Nelson, these things have serial numbers,” Gerald said, strapping the tube to the side of the Flyer. “We don’t want them to know where we got it or more importantly, that there is a rebel faction around here that has stolen toys.”

  As Gerald climbed back in, the gunfire from Mountain View suddenly died down. “Knew those country boys would take the feds without their armor,” Nelson said.

  “Oh, I think they would’ve taken them anyway, but it would’ve cost them a lot. You did see the other Stryker, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I told you, someone did a kamikaze on it,” Nelson said.

  Looking up, “No, there was another one behind that movie theater, burning. Looks like someone made a thermite grenade Molotov cocktail and tossed it on it,” Gerald said. “Regardless what people say, armor isn’t a safe place to sit. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need rockets to take them out.”

  “I know that,” Nelson snapped. “I’ve seen armor taken out, but most was taken out by IEDs.”

  “All it takes is someone that can think,” Gerald said, looking away. “I want to ride past Mountain View.”

  Matt and Nelson just gaped at Gerald with open mouths. Not hearing them protest, Gerald glanced at Matt, then Nelson and saw the shock. “I don’t want to stop. I just want to ride past,” Gerald said. “The feds will most likely send reinforcements and I want those people to keep fighting.”

  “Gerald,” Matt said, snapping his mouth closed. “You are filling people with a false hope. Let them make their own decisions.”

  Taking a deep breath, Gerald let it out slowly. “Matt, hope is the most dangerous weapon that humans possess. I speak from experience. If you have hope, you can fight forever and that’s what people are going to have to do.”

  “That may be true and I won’t argue about it,” Nelson said. “But the feds will send air here, sooner or later. The Republic has helped once, I don’t want to think they will again. I’m almost certain they won’t see a drone above us anyway.”

  “No, Nelson. They can see a regular drone with ease, but not the stealth drones,” Gerald said. “Besides, I want to let those up there in Mountain View know that.”

  Leaning back in the cupola, “I don’t mind helping out, but man…,” Nelson sighed. “If Matt agrees, I’m for it.”

  Gerald looked over at Matt. “I’ll slow down, but I’m not stopping so forget it,” Matt said defiantly. “I’m bigger than you and will crush you into a ball if you try to make me.”

  Smiling, Gerald nodded, lifting his map up. “Okay, big ‘un, drive through Mountain View. We’ll turn off here four miles outside of town heading south and circle around, checking the area,” Gerald said, pointing at the map. “I want everyone to cover the bottom half of your face with your shemagh. Just in case someone has a camera.”

  Pulling his shemagh over his lower face, Nelson pulled his AR up and slung it across his chest. “If I get in trouble Gerald, I’m blaming it on you,” Nelson said, grabbing the GAU.

  “Me? You’re the one that wanted to launch a Javelin!” Gerald snapped as Matt pulled back onto the road.

  “Ass wipe, I didn’t get to shoot the Stinger. I was going to shoot a missile at something,” Nelson growled.

  Getting behind the SAW mounted in his door, Gerald busted out laughing. “Yeah, having a wife that can say she shot down a helicopter could put a damper on a relationship,” Gerald laughed out.

  Matt picked up speed coming around the curve and Gerald quit laughing, lifting the thermal binoculars up. “Matt, people are emptying the Hummers. Pull up and slow down, so I can yell out to them,” Gerald said, lowering the binoculars.

  Passing the remains of the roadblock, Matt slowed to thirty and Nelson was looking ahead, gripping the GAU tight. “Guys, we just helped you, so don’t get jumpy,” Nelson mumbled as they closed on the group.

  The highway was almost packed with people and a large group was walking down the road toward them. It was when several took off running to the movie theater that Nelson figured out they were after the supplies the troops had left there. What Nelson loved was that everyone threw up their hands, cheering as the Flyer drifted past them.

  The group on the highway parted, but moved to form a tunnel for the Flyer. As they got closer, the people were cheering and moving in close. “Matt, slow to a crawl. I don’t want to run over anyone,” Gerald said, standing up through the roof.

  Not having a choice, Matt pressed the brakes and stopped as the people pressed in tighter, still cheering very loudly. Holding up his hands, Gerald bellowed, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

  The cheering stopped like a switch had been thrown. Everyone in the crowd looked at Gerald in shock as he lowered his hands. “Get that shit fast and spread out! Drones are coming and groups of people are a target! Now, move your ass!” he bellowed.

  Many in the crowd took off in a dead run to get away from everyone. “What do we do with them?” a man yelled and Gerald turned toward the voice, seeing it was a middle aged man who was pointing at a line of men tied up. Seeing what was left of their uniforms, Gerald knew that’s what was left of the troops.

  “Kill them and haul ass! We are leaving because the feds are pissed,” Gerald said and the man just stared at Gerald’s covered face in shock. “Move,” Gerald snapped as he dropped down and moved behind the SAW.

  The people spread like the Red Sea, seeing Gerald aim the machine gun at those they’d captured. The soldiers started shouting and trying to get up, but their feet were tied together. Pressing the trigger, Gerald raked the twelve bodies. Releasing the trigger, he looked at the man who had spoken.

  “Get their shit and get under cover fast. I’m sorry, but we are leaving. Get your people ready to repulse another attack. Rig up barrels of fuel to explode at the side of the road to take out any armor,” Gerald said and pointed forward.

  “Thank you!” many shouted as Matt pressed the pedal, moving slowly as the people started spreading out. Nelson waved until they reached the end of the crowd and gripped the GAU when Matt stomped the pedal hard.

  Coming out of town, they passed a man walking with two kids. The three stopped as the buggy passed by them. Nelson could see the relief on their faces when they saw the flags flying. “Matt, this is a sharp turn,” Gerald called out over the intercom.

  “No side seat driving,” Matt huffed tapping the brakes hard and turning sharply across the highway.

  Turning off the highway onto a dirt road that had large open fields on each side Matt stomped the gas, tearing off down the dirt road. A mile down the road, Matt slowed some once they reached the tree cover along the road.

  Weaving along the dirt road until they would reach their turnoff, Gerald kept marking houses that were or looked occupied. Since they were making such a big loop south of Mountain View, it took them over an hour to reach the road that would lead them north back home.

  When the radio went off two hours after they’d left Mountain View, they all jumped. “Pirates, this is Daisy,” Nancy called out.

  “Daisy, this is Pirates, go,” Gerald replied.

  “ETA to sex?” Nancy called.

  Glancing at the map, “Thirty hours,” Gerald replied.

  “Copy. Don’t push hard to come. Sex toys are in the blanket, both lubed and unlubed. Unlubed is losing battery power,” Nancy replied.

  “Copy. Your side or my side?”

  “My side under the pillow. Daisy out,” Nancy said.

  “Okay, I can learn police codes, but the shit you and Nancy come up with just makes me horny,” Matt said.

  “One hour is a minute, I told her we would be home in thirty minutes. Lubed is Republic forces and unlubed are the feds. Blanket is the sky. Unlubed losing battery power means the feds have lost some drones. That’s why she doesn’t want us hauling ass home. We need to stay under the trees as much as possible. Her side of the bed is west, so she said aircraft are to the
northwest,” Gerald said.

  “Shit, I know what she said and it still made me horny,” Nelson mumbled.

  Chapter 5

  Four hours later, Matt pulled through into the farm and most everyone was waiting for them. “Uh oh,” Nelson said, seeing the stern faces.

  “Man,” Matt whined, seeing Ashley glaring at him as he drove past the house to the small shed they’d built for the Flyers.

  When the buggy stopped inside the shed, Gerald turned to them. “I got this,” he said and climbed out.

  “Be damned if I’m arguing with that,” Nelson said with relief.

  When Gerald stepped out of the shed, the group came around the house. The only ones not there were the kids. “Hold on,” Gerald said, raising his hands up as the group almost charged him. They all stopped and looked at him. “It was my call and I stand beside it,” he snapped.

  “You fucking attacked a fed checkpoint?!” Nancy shouted.

  “Yes ‘I’,” he stressed, “did. But there were civilians in Mountain View already attacking them. The feds sent a fucking Hind to put down the civilians, but a Republic jet knocked his ass out of the sky. There was a Stryker and two Hummers that were putting a beating on the civilians. I think they would’ve won, but not before losing a hundred or more. So, I told the guys I wanted to even the odds. They weren’t in favor of it, and I told them I would do it on foot then,” Gerald said, lowering his hands and putting them on his hips.

  “They finally agreed and we moved up to a mile from the fight and took out the Stryker with a Javelin. Then, Nelson took out the Hummers with the GAU,” Gerald said smiling.

  With her face purple, Nancy closed in on her brother, breathing hard. “They are cheering over the radio about a Republic team helping them out!” she yelled.

  “Well, so what? I saw an opportunity to help and I did,” Gerald said, moving up to Nancy until they touched chests. “I had Matt pull close and told the people to scatter because they were coming together on the road like they were about to party!”

  “Gerald!” Nancy bellowed, shoving Gerald back with her chest. “There are people on the short-wave radio saying there are Republic troops here! The feds will have to respond!”

  “I know,” Gerald said calmly. “This is war, so you’re not telling me anything I don’t know. If the feds had put down that little insurrection the people of Mountain View fought, they would’ve put in more troops not ten miles from us. Now, the feds have to move further out, closer to the Arkansas state line to the south to stop forward elements from getting through. But they can’t put many, you know why?”

  Nancy just narrowed her eyes, looking at him hard. “Think. The Republic is starting on Colorado and the easiest way to do that is take Kansas and cut it off,” he said. “The feds want Colorado because it houses some massive supply dumps and it has hostiles on three sides.”

  Putting her hands on her hips, Nancy glared up at him. “I swear, if they roll a UN division down here, I’m kicking your ass,” she growled and spun around, stomping off toward the house.

  Looking around, Gerald grinned. “That’s my sis,” he said proudly. The smile fell off when he realized everyone still had pissed expressions. “Guys, this is war. If you see a vulnerability, you hit it. We can’t talk about every attack.”

  “We know Gerald, but…,” Bernard said and then just sighed, throwing up his hands. “I give up,” he mumbled and walked off.

  Nellie walked over to Gerald, taking a deep breath and then giving him a soft smile. Reaching up, she patted Gerald’s cheek. “We were worried about you and you didn’t call us to let us know you were attacking. We found out on the short-wave radio and CB,” she said, then hugged him. “Next time, let us know beforehand. That way, we can get ready to come and help if you need it.”

  Hugging Nellie back, Gerald nodded. “Okay, that is a valid argument and one that I was totally in the wrong about,” Gerald said. Releasing Gerald, Nellie moved over and hugged Nelson and Matt before heading inside.

  Looking at Michelle, Nelson let his AR hang off the sling and shoved it under his arm. Crossing his arms over his chest, “So, do we need to go somewhere to yell?” he asked Michelle.

  “Nope,” she said, walking over and kissing his cheek. “We will talk about this tonight.”

  Giving a groan, Nelson grabbed his gear and headed to the cabin. Ashley came over, grabbing Matt’s hand and pulling him to the house. “You know, it doesn’t take much to use the radio. You could’ve let us know,” Ashley said, leading Matt to the house. Keeping his head low and mouth shut, Matt just let her lead him to the house.

  As the others left, leaving only Michelle and Gerald, she turned to look at Gerald. Raising his hands, “It was the right call, so don’t unload on me unless I get more pictures of you in the slave outfit,” he said blatantly.

  “Forget it,” Michelle chuckled. “I wasn’t going to unload on you, Gerald.”

  Giving a sigh, Gerald reached back and grabbed his pack. “Can I ask you something?” he said, shouldering the pack.

  “If it has to do with Star Wars, no,” Michelle said with a hard face.

  Giving a curt laugh, “No,” Gerald snorted. “It’s about Nelson. He seems more… I don’t know what word I’m looking for, but maybe, content?”

  With her eyes softening, Michelle smiled. “Yes, he is,” she said.

  “I’m just saying, many here including me are a little stressed by this, but Nelson seems more relaxed than he’s ever been since I’ve met you two,” Gerald said, putting his pack back down beside him.

  “Gerald, Nelson hated his job,” Michelle said and Gerald stumbled back in shock. “No, he liked working for a mega hunting store, but not the time it took away from the family. The long hours and constant trips every month, he hated. Nelson would’ve been happy working a menial job, but with the government taking half of what you make that doesn’t leave much, unless you have a nice job. And only professional jobs can give you enough money to live in relative comfort.”

  “So, he’s just happy not having to go to work?” Gerald said, contorting his face and trying to understand.

  “Not really,” Michelle said. “Nelson liked the military but you know, they don’t make shit for a living for what they’re asked to do.”

  Nodding his head emphatically, “Oh yeah, I know that,” Gerald declared.

  “Granted, after Nelson saw how Washington set rules for soldiers in war no matter how many died, he and I wanted out,” Michelle said and Gerald nodded in understanding. “Gerald, Nelson always wanted to live out here on this farm. To be with his family all the time and not have to worry about bills and the rat race. This is a dream to him.”

  “Um, Michelle? We have more shit to worry about now than bills,” Gerald pointed out.

  Michelle just smiled at Gerald. “Believe me, I know. But I really wish you could’ve met Nelson when I did. He was like he is now; joking, fun loving, and full of energy.”

  Giving a slight nod, Gerald said. “Don’t get me wrong, I could see it at times but man, he’s like a completely different person.”

  Looking off, “Yes, and I have to say, I love it,” Michelle said softly.

  “Well, so do I,” Gerald chuckled and picked his pack back up. “I’ll come and get Devin before supper.”

  Watching Gerald walk away, Michelle shook her head. “Things need to slow down, so I can slack off my workouts and get pregnant. I’m tired of having to wrestle my kids away from people,” she huffed, heading to the cabin.

  She walked in and didn’t see Nelson and stopped, listening for him. Hearing movement in the bedroom, Michelle walked through the living room into the hall. Before she reached the bedroom, Nelson walked out of the bedroom and saw her.

  “Jesus!” Nelson screamed, jumping back into the wall.

  Watching Nelson jump back, Michelle chuckled, “Sorry, baby,” she said.

  “I’m putting a bell on your ass,” Nelson snapped, pushing off the wall. “Need something?” />
  “No, just seeing what you’re doing,” she said.

  “Just putting up my backpack,” Nelson said and moved past her.

  “Thought so,” Michelle said as he walked past her, looking away from her eyes. She followed him into the kitchen, “May I ask what you’re hiding?”

  Grabbing a pitcher of tea, Nelson grabbed a glass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said a little too fast for her.

  “Uh huh,” she smiled and leaned back against the table just watching him. “I swear, I don’t know how you get anything over anyone. And you’re a salesman is what kills me,” she chuckled.

  Turning around, Nelson acted like he was staring at her, but was concentrating on her chin. “Jedi mind tricks don’t work on me,” Nelson said, then drained his glass.

  “Pfft,” Michelle scoffed. “Like I would ever need that with you. Now, will you please tell me?”

  Wishing he hadn’t drank the tea so fast, Nelson quickly turned around to refill his glass. “Really, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Michelle stared at him as he very slowly refilled the glass. Watching Nelson closely, Michelle saw he was calm but wasn’t looking at her, not even glancing out of the corner of his eyes. “If I guess, will you tell me if I’m right?”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Nelson cried out and turned to look out the window over the sink.

  For several seconds, Michelle just watched Nelson and then smiled. “It was your idea to attack,” she said confidently.

  Spinning around, the glass fell from Nelson’s hand, hitting the floor but not breaking. “That’s bullshit!” he yelled, staring at her with wide eyes.

  “Well, am I right?” Michelle laughed and he just gawked at her. “So, I take it I am,” she finally said.

  “I just want to know, how in the hell do you do that?” Nelson asked, bending over and picking up his glass.

  “Babe, when you’re trying to hide something, it’s written all over your face.”