by AJ Newman
Cliff spoke up, “I know the quarry.”
Tom said, “Great. Bring all the ATVs and golf carts you can manage. Hide the trucks and other vehicles in the quarry buildings and load your stuff on the ATVs and carts.”
Sam said, “That doesn’t make sense.”
Tom replied, “It will. Now get to loading.”
Cliff replied, “We stay ready to bug out. We’ll be at the quarry in about an hour or two.”
*
Chapter 20
The Cave
Rick gathered a crew and took enough brush clearing equipment to clear the mouth of the cave. Tom asked Granny B to help paint camouflage on a tarp that would help hide the opening after removing the brush. Jackie, Kate, and Kendra kept the drones busy flying sorties. Kate flew her drone to the Aryan Sons’ camp while Jackie watched over the vigilante hideout. Kendra watched over the quarry and the mouth of the cave at the quarry.
Tom led a team with five ATVs through the cave to the mouth and waited for Rick to clear enough brush so they could drive down the slope to help load the vigilante’s supplies and people. Jack was one of the team members chosen to go with Tom but disappeared when they headed down the long tunnel to the other end.
Tom called Granny B on the radio. “Have you seen Jack?”
Granny B said, “Yes, he and June saddled their horses and just rode away. He said you sent him on an urgent mission to the ranch.”
Tom said, “Now we know for sure who the spies are.”
Tom contacted Kendra. “Kendra, I have a tough assignment. Jack and June are spies. They just escaped the cave and are heading away. Go stop them.”
Kendra replied, “Stop or kill.”
Tom said, “Kill, or do whatever you have to do to stop them.”
Kendra gulped. “Yes, boss. I’ll stop or kill them.”
Rick’s crew had cleared the brush, and Tom asked Rick to unload his ATV and join Tom’s crew to help the vigilantes. They roared down the steep slope and then turned back up the hillside to get to the closest quarry road. The quarry was only a short distance. Tom told everyone to hide their vehicles in the garage until the trucks arrived. They opened all the doors to the garage and the overhead door to the office building.
Thirty minutes later, the trucks rolled into sight. Tom directed traffic, and all twelve of the vehicles were inside and invisible from above the quarry. They’d brought several large trailers that hauled six ATVs and two golf carts. All the ATVs had cargo in the back and were ready to go. Several held four people. They loaded the kids, sick, and elderly first and followed Tom down the quarry road to the mouth of the cave.
Sam rode with Tom while Cliff directed her team down at the quarry. Tom’s ATV roared up the steep slope and entered the cavern. Tom had turned his lights on but was still trying to adapt to the darkness. He’d told everyone to drive into the cave and follow him so they could get all the ATVs in as quickly as possible. Tom stopped just past the second side cavern, which placed the end of the convoy in front of the first side cavern.
Tom yelled, “Start unloading but keep the cargo away from the entrance so we can turn around.”
The ATVs were quickly unloaded and back on the road to the quarry. Tom was again in the lead when Kendra radioed. “The job is done. It was the hard way. We also lost two horses.”
Tom said, “Thanks, I know it was tough. Is there anything for us to worry about?”
Kendra said, “Nothing around here.”
While the others loaded the ATVs, Tom talked with Kate over the drone’s speakers. Kate said, “The DC3 took off a few minutes ago. Twelve men and women boarded carrying a ton of ammunition.”
Tom said, “Can you switch me to Jackie?”
Kate said, “Of course.”
Tom asked, “Big sister, how’s it going?”
Jackie said, “The DC3 has just arrived, and it’s staying high enough that I have to use the telescope mode to see it. Oh, it’s lower and beginning to circle the area. Whoa! Damn! It’s peppering the buildings below. Crap, one just exploded. They’re shooting tracer rounds and starting fires in all the buildings.”
Tom said, “Watch the plane until it leaves and then come to me and help watch.”
Jackie said, “Will do.”
Sam stood by Tom. “Those drones just saved our butts.”
Tom said, “But is your butt worth saving?”
Sam grinned, “You used to think so before Kate came along. Tom, I’m going to fill you in on everything. Please keep it to yourself and Kate.”
Tom frowned. “Of course, I will.”
Sam took a deep breath. “Lucy and I are DEA agents serving under cover to wipe out the Mendoza Cartel. I know you had suspicions about Lucy being a young teen. She’s actually twenty-five. Lucy was chosen to play the part of my daughter because she was so petite and could pass for a young teen.”
Tom asked, “Is Lucy her real name?”
Sam replied, “Yes. There was no reason to change it. This backfired when Mendoza tried to have sex with her. We didn’t know he was a pedophile, along with being a scumbag drug lord. I had to escape to get Lucy to safety. That’s when we met you on the plane. Sorry about misleading you for so long. I just couldn’t risk telling the truth because Mendoza could have captured one of you and made you talk.”
Tom’s head shook. “So, if she’s twenty-five, I guess that makes you about fifty-five.”
Sam punched Tom on the shoulder. “Asshole! No, I’m twenty-nine. We knew Mendoza liked them young, so I volunteered.”
Tom’s face turned crimson. “Did you have to … uh ..?”
“Yes, I had to have sex with him. Not by choice. The plan was to quickly gain his confidence and assassinate him and the leaders of his crew. He drugged me the second time I saw him, and ….”
Tears flowed down her cheeks, and her head hung low. Then she snapped back and said, “Now you know why I am going to kill the bastard.”
Tom said, “I’m sorry that happened, and I’ll also help you in any way possible.”
They made three trips to move all the vigilante cargo and people into the cave. Tom’s other teams had been busy building beds, tables, and benches for Sam’s people. The furniture was crude but would suffice until they could scavenge better items. Rick drove down the tunnel with two ATVs loaded down with beef for Sam’s group. That put many smiles on the group’s faces.
Cliff asked, “Does this mean our two teams have joined, now?”
Sam said, “Yes, but Tom will keep us under watch for a month before the final decision is made.”
Tom said, “We treat all new folks the same. We trust no one until they earn the trust. I’ll introduce you to the leaders in my group, and we’ll divide the labor needed to keep the group safe and healthy.”
Sam looked at Cliff. “Babe, do you see any issues?”
Cliff said, “Hon, I trust your judgment. Besides, you know these people best.”
Tom and Kate glanced at each other. Tom said, “Hmmm, hon and babe. That sounds more like lovers, not comrades in arms.”
Cliff said, “Well, I can’t call her boss or Hellen all the time.”
Kate’s head snapped toward Sam. “So, Samantha isn’t your real name?”
Sam snickered. “No, my real name is Hellen Crabtree. I’m from Owensboro, Kentucky, and have been an agent since I graduated from Southern Indiana University eight years ago. I’m an expert at undercover work, long-range sniping, and speak five languages.”
Tom said, “So you played us all since the plane crashed.”
Sam put an arm around Cliff. “No, I kept my cover, but everything else was the real me. Well, after we arrived at the ranch. Surely you noticed the change from girly-girl to normal girl.”
Kate said, “We all did. The guys even noticed Lucy’s assets became more noticeable. A couple felt bad because they thought they lusted after a teen girl.”
Sam broke out laughing. “That’s too funny because she wanted to jump Colt’s bones, and Gret
a took him. She now has the hots for his brother George.”
Tom made the timeout sign. “How about you two and a couple of your leadership team come over to our side of the cave for dinner tomorrow. Granny B and the others need to hear Sam … Hellen’s story. We can discuss our plans for eliminating the threats and start planning for the future.”
Sam replied, “You can still call me Sam. Everyone knows me by that name. It’s also my middle name. I think that’s a grand idea. Is five okay?”
Tom said, “That works for us.”
Sam leaned into Tom and whispered in his ear. Tom nodded and then took Kate by the arm and left in his ATV with the rest of his team except Jackie and Rick. They stayed behind to be the liaison between the two groups until Tom could bring Alan up to speed.
Kate tugged on Tom’s sleeve as soon as they were out of sight of Sam’s group. “Well?”
Tom rolled his eyes even though Kate couldn’t see them. “Well, what? Be specific.”
Kate huffed, “What did Sam whisper in your ear?”
Tom said, “She told me to keep it secret.”
Kate grabbed a hunk of Tom’s chest and twisted. He blurted out, “Uncle! Uncle! She asked if I could get Granny B to marry her and Cliff because she has a bun in the oven.”
Kate shook her head and chuckled. “So, she’s given up on catching my husband?”
Tom snickered, “Apparently, she decided to settle for an inferior product.”
***
Tom only told Granny B the short story about Sam and Cliff. She was astounded. “Well, land sakes alive! I was kinda liking hating Sam, and she turns out to be one of the good guys.”
Tom gathered all the team that was in the cave for a brief update. He didn’t want them to be surprised when Sam and Cliff showed up the next day. George had a big grin on his face. George said, “I knew it. That wasn’t a thirteen-year-old’s body on that girl. I started feeling like a pervert every time she walked by me.”
Several of the men nodded and quickly received pokes in the ribs by their spouses and girlfriends.
***
Tom said, “The main thing we need to do now is to figure out how to keep the Aryan Sons focused on killing Mendoza and not us. Shooting their plane down without being able to blame Mendoza was bad luck.”
Kate said, “Why not blame it on Mendoza? The Aryan Sons don’t know who shot at them or why. Let’s use the radio chatter to place the seed and then find a way to pour gas on the fire.”
Tom looked at Sam and Cliff. “Do you have any Spanish speaking people?”
Cliff said, “Yes, we have four or five in the Garcia family. Three are adults whose voices would be credible.”
Tom said, “Cliff, Rick will help you write a credible script for broadcasting in the open. Then Kate and Jackie will help with the broadcasts using the drones and walkie-talkies.”
Cliff agreed and then asked, “I think we need to work on a command structure. We can’t have our groups pulling in different directions. It could be a disaster in the middle of a fight.”
Tom looked around the room and then at Sam as he spoke. “I’m the leader of our group. Sam is the leader of your group. I’m the leader of all people staying in this cave until your group decides to end the relationship. Sam, Cliff, Rick, and I will be the ones tasked with developing a war plan. I will add two of my people to the team, and Sam can add two people. My two are Bill and Jackie.”
Sam said, “Agreed. Cliff and I’ll discuss who to add. As I think Cliff mentioned, we have a bunch of doers but not many leaders.”
Rick spoke. “Maybe add someone with combat experience. I’m sure Tom added me because I’ve fought in several Middle East wars.”
Cliff said, “Maybe Eric and Linda could be of help.”
Sam said, “Yes.”
***
The drones became the primary method to implement the disinformation program for pitting the Aryan Sons against the Cartel soldiers. Sam provided four Spanish-speaking people to man the radios. Rick and Cliff wrote scripts for them aimed at infuriating the Aryan Sons. Rick and Jackie wrote scripts to represent the Aryan Sons when Tom’s team attacked Mendoza’s gang.
Colt, Jerry, Bill, and George had fun taunting Mendoza after every attack on one of Mendoza’s outposts. Jerry was very credible as he pretended to be a NAZI skinhead.
*
Chapter 21
The Cave
After the meeting, Tom asked Rick to keep Cliff busy while he spoke with Sam in private. He asked Sam to stay in the room as the others filed out of the room. “Sam, I have a couple of things that are nagging me.”
Sam said, “And they are?”
Tom asked, “Why did you tell Lucy that the ranch was going to be attacked?”
Sam smiled, “I told Greta and the rest of you. Lucy wasn’t on the call. First, Lucy and I have a code word we use when not face to face for conversations. Second, Greta couldn’t fool anyone with her fake Lucy voice.”
Tom’s brow furrowed. “Then why tell us we were about to be attacked?”
Sam shrugged. “Because you are good people and headquarters told me the Aryans were nosing around the southeast of Ashland. I knew you’d be safer up in the hills at the cave.”
Tom’s head shook side to side as he reconciled what he thought he’d known versus what he’d just heard. “So, there isn’t going to be an attack?”
Sam replied, “Too early to tell. You think the Aryans discovered the barn, but you got their mind off exploring by duping Mendoza’s gang into attacking them. They will find the bunker, eventually.”
Tom remembered Sam had said ‘headquarters.’ He asked, “Where is this headquarters located?”
Sam frowned. “I don’t know. DC was nuked, and several EMPs wiped out most electronics and most communication ability. The president and most of his staff were killed by a direct nuclear attack on the secret bunker. The EMPs killed most of our worthless congress since it occurred on Friday afternoon, and the cockroaches were on planes flying home. The new Speaker of the House is now our president. His staff is made up of generals from the military branches.
The DEA’s mission was changed from stopping drug lords to assassinating drug lords and any other groups that were a threat to democracy. Most law enforcement groups are now working with citizens in their areas to build a group of survivors that can be used to start new states across the country. Our president hopes the states will join the main group to restart the USA.”
Tom was reeling from the information overload. “So, is my group the seed to start your new state?”
Sam grinned, “You’re not as dumb as you try to act. Our new state is to be called Jefferson. All states will be named after our early presidents, founding fathers, and mothers.”
Tom said, “Wow! I forgot to ask what’s the name of our president.”
Sam said, “It’s Larry Cruz.”
Tom said, “The man from Texas who lost the presidential election is now our president?”
Sam said, “He became Speaker of the House and the VP and President died during the attack. He’s a good man.”
Tom was concerned because Cruz was a third-party libertarian. The overwhelming rest of the congress was republicans and democrats. “Will the rest of congress support him? Hell, will the military support him?”
Sam said, “I’m just a peon and not in the loop. Cruz moved the capital to Dallas. The military supported the move, and Congress tucked their tails and moved to Texas. Well, about half of those who survived quit and went home to their families.”
Tom shrugged. “I guess we only need to worry about our local … wait a minute. What happened to the state governments, Oregon, Washington, and California?”
“They melted down to anarchy when the government officials ran home to be with their loved ones. That happened all across the USA. Only a handful of states still have working governments.”
Tom said, “I guess we have to put our big boy pants on and get these states back up and
running.”
***
Granny B caught Tom the following day. “Tom, these folks don’t know their butt from their elbow when it comes to surviving. Jackie and I gave several of them a tour of the cave and told them about what we’d done at the ranch. Oh, we didn’t mention the bunker.”
Tom said, “That’s not good. What are you going to do about it?”
Granny B snickered. “No good deed goes unpunished. I’ll volunteer to teach classes. I’ll need some of our team to help shoulder some of the work.”
Tom smiled at his grandmother. “Great, but leave Jackie and Rick out of it for a couple of days.”
Granny B said, “Not a problem, I’ll teach them about edible and medicinal plants to start. I’m not as spry as I used to be, or I’d teach the hand to hand fighting like I did for Jackie and you.”
“Granny B, thanks for taking this off my plate. As Papaw used to say, I’m busier than a one-legged man at an ass kicking contest,” Tom said.
Granny B gave him a hug as she left the area. “Don’t try to rebuild the world in one day.”
Tom snickered, “Don’t worry. We plan on taking a week.”
“Smartass,” Granny B said as she left.
Tom smiled at his Grandmother. “Seriously, our next job is to get the Aryan Sons fighting Mendoza’s gang. I don’t know who to bet on winning. We need them both to lose.”
Granny B said, “We need the one to win that will be the easiest to annihilate the next day.”
***
Tom caught Paul alone and sought his aid. “Paul, could you slip back into Ashland without placing yourself in danger?”
Paul’s eyes blinked, and Paul said, “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. I guess the short answer is yes. What would I have to do when I arrived?”
