“I just heard that Richard Etchberger is about to be sworn in as the president. Do you know that he’s the daffiest SOB to ever work in DC? The only reason he even had a job was his family bought him the position, and it didn’t come cheap either, just so they could have bragging rights, and his father could keep him away from the family businesses. Please, tell me it’s all an elaborate joke.” John Favazza pleaded the pained look of desperation clearly on his face.
“Unless you have something on him, or can prove he’s unfit for the position of president, we’re SOL. After he’s sworn in, we should brief him about the little alien problem we have also.”
“Hell, I’ll just ask Tomi to have him abducted. Maybe they’ll even perform some probes on him.” Peters just stared at Favazza in reply to the answer. “I’ll have a brief ready for him tomorrow. I need to dumb down what I have for the standard brief I use when someone is added to the ‘Alien Club.’ Good luck, Willy Pete.” He left the office and Peters looked at the closed door with mixed feelings. Time to get this over with, may God have mercy on my soul, he thought as he headed for the door.
The small auditorium had a podium with a couple of microphones. One was to the speakers for the room, which were unnecessary, and the other was for Radio ZA out of Cheyenne, the only radio station on the air.
Richard Etchberger looked at the pathetic gathering that was to be his inauguration and fumed. The damn military is trying to minimalize my presidency. Wait until I’m sworn in and see what happens, you ungrateful bastards, he thought as he prepared for the ceremony.
Peters walked out to the podium and looked out at the audience of less than fifty people. “I am here today to officiate the swearing in of Richard Etchberger, the senior surviving government official in the line of succession for President of the United States. Mr. William Charlick, senior surviving lawyer, will perform the oath of office swearing in.” Peters stepped back and the two men stepped forward. Peters tried his best to keep a straight face as he watched the pig-faced man become the most powerful man in the world.
Chapter 45
Interstate 25, New Mexico, April 10, 2029
Caleb picked up the M4 from the ground, it was covered in blood and still had a finger inside the trigger assembly. He let the finger fall to the ground as he looked around to see where the infected Corporal may have gone. He still couldn’t sense their presence near the casino, which wasn’t a surprise since the smells inside were enough to keep them out. He noticed the bolt was locked back. At least he went down fighting, and now he’s one of them, he thought as he walked back to the convoy.
Fotos was supervising the last of the gear being loaded back into the trucks. She looked his way and he just shook his head ‘no’ and continued to walk to his truck. Asher looked over at him and was definitely unhappy as he transferred to the other armored truck to take the place of the corporal. Well, at least our truck will be a little quieter now, he thought as he climbed in behind the wheel.
Fotos climbed in next to him and looked at the bloody M4 he was reaching to put in the back of the cab and gave an involuntary shudder. Caleb noticed but decided not to say anything. She swore softly as she fought with the five point harness, and then brought up the console in front of her for the map program. “I’m ready to go when you are.” Her voice almost cracked as she tried to sound cheerful.
Caleb leaned on the horn for a moment then put the truck in gear, slowly exiting through the open gate. By the time he was to the road it looked like all the vehicles were moving in good order.
“Just a little over seven more hours and we’ll be at Luke. We should take a short break near Holbrook after we cross into Arizona, then get off the interstate and take county roads so we don’t advertise we’re in the neighborhood until we find the other group. There might be spotters on the main roads that aren’t friendly. The distance is a little shorter, too.”
“That sounds like a fine plan, Anny.” Fotos looked at him. At first like she was going to strike him, then surprised him by laughing, breaking the funk she had wrapped herself in.
“Just drive, asshole.” She replied, but she was smiling, looking forward and not back.
A mile down the road he felt the infected as they drove by a community alongside the road there must have been at least a hundred houses. If I could have done my recon when the sun was still up, I’d have seen these from the hill and Golsteyn would still be alive, he thought petulantly. Fotos could sense the change in his mood and easily figured out why as she decided to stay quiet.
Caleb tried to stay vigilant as he drove until he saw he was at the exit for Holbrook, he took the exit and followed the signs to the closest gas station, Fotos was mewing softly in her sleep and he didn’t want to wake her. He finally woke her so she could work the radio. “Sweetie, it’s time to get up for school. Come on, honey, you don’t want to be late.” Caleb laughed as she replied in a little girl voice.
“Just five more minutes, Daddy. I’m having such a weird dream.” Caleb felt like a shit but he needed her now.
“Get your butt out of that bed now, young lady!” He shouted while slowing to stop. She jerked awake, confused.
“Great timing, I just pulled off the interstate. Call the other vehicles to provide security, and I’ll see if I can get some sodas and snacks to go with lunch.” The trucks parked fifty feet back and manned their guns as Caleb pulled up to the empty gas station. The windows and glass doors had all been destroyed. Brass littered the concrete out front, and the smell of bad food and dead bodies reeked from inside the building. The doors and windows faced the north and the sun was shining from the south so it was a little difficult to see in as he approached. He could sense two or three infected inside, so he planned to just get what he could and get out as quickly as he could, no matter what he found inside. ‘Pete’ was the name on the shirt’s name tag of the man sitting at the register, with his head back and most of his throat missing. He still held a giant revolver in his lap. Caleb passed on the urge to pick it up and instead found a cart. The floor was littered with bodies and assorted food from the shelves. He had to pick up the cart a few times to get by the piles of bodies until he was at the glass doors of the coolers. Most of the soda was already gone, but there was still enough in cans to grab for the convoy. Everything in a bottle was gone and many empty bottles littered the floors. There were still cans of beer, but he decided against it. Some of the loaves of bread still looked good so he grabbed a few along with peanut butter and assorted jellies. He heard movement and looked into the cooler and saw there were three naked, infected women. When they made eye contact with him, they started cooing softly at him. He started to smile, and then forced himself to the point of almost running to get out of the store as quickly as he could. Fotos looked at him concerned, so he flipped her a ‘thumbs up’ and then pushed the cart to a large open lot. Soon the rest of the vehicles were in a circle as he tore out the soda from the boxes, surprised they were still cool. They ate in silence as he kept looking towards the station, trying to think of a good excuse to go back in for ten minutes.
“Losing daylight, people. Let’s get moving. About four hours and we should be having a nice meal being cooked in our honor.” Fotos left her trash and walked back to the truck. Caleb gave one last forlorn look at the station and followed her. “Just follow Arizona 77 until you have to turn right on Arizona 377 about three miles.”
At the intersection, there was a barricade blocking the access road to a group of building half a mile off the road. Every truck and car had serious bullet damage. Further up the road smoke was still coming from some of the buildings. Caleb could hear weapons fire coming from the buildings. “Turn right here. That’s nothing for us to get involved in.” Fotos ordered. Caleb did not dare even look at her as he followed her order.
“About half a mile, ahead take a left. We should refuel before we get any closer to the base. It’s going to be all built up after that and I’d prefer to stay safe.” Caleb couldn’t help bu
t laugh when he saw they were pulling off the road on an Indian reservation to go to a rodeo complex.
Caleb climbed up behind the fifty cal and took watch as the rest proceeded to fuel the vehicles. Wetzel stood in the turret of the Guardian and nodded to him and smiled before continuing his scans of the surrounding area. When they made it to his vehicle, the smell of the fuel made him nauseous because of his enhanced sense of smell. He heard the sound of a pair of pickups as they raced past the rodeo grounds unseen and unheard because of the landscaped trees and bushes at the entrance to the grounds. Caleb shrugged it off since there had to be some life nearby; none of the others had heard the trucks go by.
When the convoy entered the greater Phoenix area, Fotos decided it was time to tell the team the rest of their mission. “Reach 06 to all Reachers, go secure on 03. All Reachers, our full mission is to establish communications with an outpost we believe has a military commander. We don’t know how we will be received. When we approach their compound, if we take fire and my vehicle is destroyed along with me and Lieutenant White, you are to retreat back to the Rodeo, then Staff Sergeant Angel or the senior ranking person will take command for the trip home. I’ve emailed each of you the route in the event of any problems. Here’s wishing the best. Reach 06 out.”
“So the first thing we’re going to do is drive up to their door with our only two officers with a fifty fifty chance of getting shot up?” Caleb asked incredulously.
“That was the plan given to me by the General. I trust him. He knows things we don’t.” I hope, she thought. Caleb was quiet, trying to think of a better plan and decided it would be him. “When we get there, let me walk up to their compound. I’ll carry my notebook and let whoever their boss is powwow with the general face to face. We have the technology, let’s use it.”
Fotos picked up the handset and dialed in the number for HQ, expecting to get the secretary. When Peters picked up the phone, she found herself tongue-tied and had to clear her throat. “General Peters, Lieutenant Fotos here. We are about to make first contact and would like to be able to have their senior officer call you for verification.” Peters was taken by surprise and accepted the idea.
“Go ahead and get the phone to the detachment commander and I’ll take care of it from there. Peters out.” Fotos looked over to Caleb.
“We have a go. When we get to the compound, I’ll let you drive forward and I’ll get in the Guardian.” Fotos sounded relieved as she spoke.
“Now that we have a plan, one more change. They see only me so they don’t know how many ‘we’ are. Do you want to have a running gun battle with a semi full of fuel?” Caleb stopped the truck. “Do you want to grab your crap in case I get blown up?” Embarrassed, she got out of the truck and opened the back door to get her bag.
“Good luck Caleb, and thank you.” I’m such an idiot. Do I want to die or what? He thought turning off towards the school.
Wilson was on the rooftop checking the guard with Master Sergeant Hale. He had immediately taken a professional liking to the senior NCO and decided not to hold it against him that he’d been under Lieutenant Alban. “We have company sir. One JLTV with a fifty coming up the street.” The guard spoke in the same manner he’d report seeing a dog cross the road--totally unflustered. They watched as the driver got out of the truck stepped in front of it and assumed the position of parade rest.
“Well, that driver has balls. Get a couple of snipers on him, alert the rest of the guard in case he’s distracting us from something else. Then send whoever our low man is out to check the truck and make sure he’s safe. If so, he can drive up to the wall only. Then he will be escorted in for interrogation. Nice truck, we could use a couple of them, Wilson thought to himself.
Ten minutes later the private that had gone out to talk with the driver took off his hat and stuck it in his front pocket before the two of them got into the truck and drove towards the wall.
The private sitting next to him seemed like a likeable idiot. He reminded Caleb of Brown. He began to feel at ease, though he still wanted to pee. A pair of M2s tracked him as he neared the wall. “Shit, I hope they don’t get itchy trigger fingers. Jonesey’s on gun two and owes me over a grand.” The private blurted out.
“Damn, now you got me nervous, too.” Caleb replied, half joking. He pulled up next to the gate and got out, grabbing his notebook to take with him. He felt the weight of his 9mm in the holster and decided to leave it, not wanting to pull it out while covered by heavy weapons and possible snipers. A major stood just inside the walls, wearing a flightsuit with gold major leaves. Well, at least it not another Army asshole, he thought as he walked towards the major. He stopped three steps away, then came to attention and saluted.
“Sir, Lieutenant White reports as ordered.” He held the salute until the major returned it.
“And who is it that ordered you to report to me, Lieutenant?” Wilson asked, amused.
“Sir, that would be Major General Peterson, previously commander of Space Command and now commander of all CONUS forces, based out of Wyoming. I’ve been instructed to allow you to teleconference in order to answer any questions you may have.” The smile was no longer on Wilson’s face, although many of those around him that heard were already starting to whisper among themselves.
“So, why would the General answer my questions instead of having you do it, Lieutenant?” Caleb gave it a second to think it over.
“Sir, because I’m a Lieutenant.” Master Sergeant Hale burst out laughing as well as those around him. Wilson smiled as well.
“Follow me, son, we’ll go into this first room for some privacy.” Caleb followed, feeling like an idiot for not completing his sentence ‘and it is too high above my pay grade’.
“Do what you must so we can get this over with. I think I like you, so I’d hate to have you shot.” Caleb quickly connected the notebook and heard ringing at once.
“Major General Peters. Who do I have the honor of addressing?” I’ll play along with the game, Wilson thought.
“Sir, I’m Major Ronald Wilson, late of Luke AFB.” Peters smiled at the announcement.
“Well, Major, it was just brought to my attention that we don’t have any F35 pilots. Is that what you fly?”
“Not yet, sir. I was in transition from B-1s to F-35s.”
“That’s funny, because it was a bone driver that asked if we had any F35s.One second” the General looked through a few papers then looked back at the screen, “It was Major Walter Chapman out of Ellsworth. He was flying Air Force One.” Wilson lost all color in his face when his old squadron mate’s name was used, especially when he said that he’d flown Air Force One.
“Sir, the President survived? I heard he crashed and burned.” Wilson began to choke up, realizing there still was a United States Air Force and a United States.
“The President is Richard Etchberger, previously the Secretary of the VA. He has been duly sworn in. If it makes things easier for you, I can have Major Chapman call you tomorrow and bring you up to date. As we rebuild our forces, we are consolidating all the groups we can find and bringing them into the fold. After I get your information and verify it, you will be the commander of all forces in Arizona, until which time a more senior officer is found or for cause. Do you accept this responsibility?” Wilson was sweating as he replied.
“Yes, Sir. I accept the responsibility as described.”
“After you’re verified, the team that made first contact with you will be transferred under your command. Welcome aboard, Major Wilson.” The screen went black as Wilson turned to Caleb.
“Let’s do whatever you have to do to get me verified, son. I have a feeling we’re going to be very busy.”
“Sir, I’ll need your CAC and my assistant. Starting with you, he will do the actual authentication and setup everyone with email and internet. We have special equipment so your compound here will have internet and email. I should call in the others. I’m sure they’re beginning to sweat out there. There will b
e three trucks coming in, one a semi with supplies for your command, and a Guardian and another JLTV. Caleb turned the notebook towards him and made the call.
“Lieutenant Fotos, our mission is complete. General Peters has assigned us to, I guess, Arizona Command. Bring everyone in, everyone is friendly, but drive slow and stay cool. We have a new home.
Epilogue
General Peters was getting ready to call it a day. He thought of the bottle of bourbon in his desk the more he thought about the new president. He already had a dozen directives on his desk. The one that made him most sick dictated that all personnel in uniform that tested positive for carrying the ‘Infection’ were to be terminated.
The order gave commanders twenty-four hours to determine how many infecteds were in their command, then another twenty-four to dispatch them. He would sit on it for administrative reasons as long as he could. He started a new email to the Commander of Arizona Command, informing him that Lieutenant Caleb White’s request to resign his commission was accepted officially on this date. Further, he was not to be allowed to serve in any capacity in any branch of the service and had six hours from this notice to leave any military facility or grounds he was on. In concession to current affairs, he would be allowed to keep all service weapons issued to him and given an allowance of ammunition and rations in lieu of separation pay. He then sent an email to Caleb explaining the new president’s policy and that he should disappear immediately. He would also see to it that his email and internet credentials were not cancelled. I hope I didn’t just draw a bullseye on my back, he thought as he pressed ‘send.’
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