by Bryan Way
I say nothing as I rub my forehead.
“What?” Rich asks.
“So we’re not killing him. That’s all I wanted to know. You sound like my parents… ‘we’ve got to do something about this’, ‘this can’t continue’, ‘he’s got a rude awakening coming’… I didn’t go to the community center to split hairs. He’s guilty, or he’s not. We’re killing him, or we’re not. We’ve talked enough.”
“We’re not psychopaths… we don’t deal in absolutes.”
“What about the guys at DC cubed?”
Rich takes a moment to collect his thoughts.
“Okay.” Rich says, haltingly. “I don’t know where you’re going with this and I don’t care. All the same, let’s make this the final line: If Rob fucks up one more time, that’s it. You, me, or Anderson get an inkling, and we don’t talk about whether we do it… we talk about how.”
“Okay.” I concede.
“Any more news on Penn State?”
“Soon. So, are we done? Talking about Rob?”
“Yeah, we’re done.” Anderson says, starting for the door.
“I don’t wanna be back here in a day or so saying we have to do something about it…”
“If we have that conversation, it’s because he’s going in the ground.”
After a few moments of silence, Rich and Anderson exit the room simultaneously with me, managing a laugh over the abortive end of our conversation before the three of us get to work on the Penn State trip. We secure our cache of supplies, including lots of water and food that requires little to no preparation. Anderson again insists we’ll need heavy armaments, mainly because we have plenty of rounds to spare and we may encounter a horde, but he adds we might need stock to trade, referencing his earlier positions on acquiring drugs for Karen. Rich and I regard this position skeptically, but acquiesce.
Extra gas and tires are allotted, walkies and radios have their batteries tested, and a supply of blankets is collected in case we get stuck. Anderson includes industrial magnets so we can fix the blankets to the windows to trap heat. Contingency plans are drawn up if we don’t return; an envoy will be sent out within three days, following our potential deviations from 476 or 80 as marked with plastic bags from the mattress store tied off on trees, off-ramp dividers, or sign posts at the appropriate exits. We debate the idea of leaving notes with status updates inside said bags, unanimously deciding to ratify it.
Anderson loads the bus up with the M2A1 5.56mm ammo box we’ve used to load the magazines, leaving roughly 750 rounds, and sets us up with four of our five M-16s. Rich screams bloody murder about this complement, arguing that we don’t need one machine gun, let alone four. Anderson waits until Rich calms down and points out the obvious: one of them could jam and we won’t have anyone around to clear it. Rich feels he could learn how and Anderson shakes his head; even if he could successfully teach Rich how to clear it, he’d need days if not weeks of practice to master the weapon. Anderson buttresses his argument by suggesting there are no bad reasons to carry extra supplies if we can.
When the dust settles, Anderson points to four loaded magazines, cautioning that we don’t have the training or need to go full auto, so when one magazine is spent, someone will have time to reload it while the next one is being used. Finding this to be sound logic, he moves on to apprise us of our four cases of 40-count bottled water, ten cases of canned food with 12 cans apiece, five can openers, a small supply of morphine to complement the medical kit already on the bus, and a small assortment of additional hand-to-hand weapons. He also promises to pack sandwiches for us.
Once supplies have been allocated, Rich gives Anderson and me a presentation on alternate routes, including Jake to solidify his role as envoy. The most problematic area may be the Lehigh tunnel; once 476 gets up to the Pocono Mountains, one swatch of the highway cuts through a mountain ridge that bears the Appalachian Trail on its back, producing a potential mile-long hazard that will be difficult to avoid. Rich cautions that anything interrupting the flow of tunnel traffic could cause a delay of one to four hours.
Rich explains our route several times in the abstract, going over specific areas of concern repeatedly and as clearly as possible, using the map to illustrate and being patient when Jake gets nervous or seems to misunderstand. Rich announces that I should take the Humvee separately so I can more easily navigate potential road blocks and assess the need to clear obstacles or secure alternate routes. After agreeing to partake in another navigation session, Jake departs to enlist Karen’s advice on medical supplies.
Our last act before knocking off centers around doing some surveillance of the grounds; an hour’s circuit yields no disturbances of importance, so we call it a day as we continue to wait for a definitive decision regarding the Penn State group’s desire to connect with us. I finally snatch up my TV and DVD player and connect them in my room, following this up by moving my collection of DVDs as well. Thanks partially to our mall voyages, I have slightly over 1,000 titles in my possession.
When Mel returns from exercising, we head to the cafeteria and end up eating with Anderson and Helen. For the first time, Helen seems to approve of our master plan, rendering the conversation between the four of us focused and convivial. Following dinner, Mel and I watch The Ice Storm, a favorite amongst a few of my film professors. She seems to enjoy it, evidenced by a lengthy discussion after its conclusion. When I imply that it is my favorite Thanksgiving movie, Mel tangentially condemns our recent celebration of said holiday for being about nothing more than food. As she alluded before, she sees holidays as vital opportunities to recognize how lucky we are and how grateful we should be for each other.
Before long, our words begin to fail us as the fight against sleep hampers our ability to carry on for more than a sentence at a time. During one such meandering pontification from Mel, I find a rare breed of tranquility. Her words are lost on me, but the soothing drone of her voice pacifies me like the gentle waves of a lake against the hull of a wooden boat as I lose my battle with sleep.
01-04-05, TUESDAY
I wake up for a moment to what I think is a buzzing sound, but it subsides as I go back to sleep.
I come around again, now recognizing the vibration of my phone, and leap out of bed to find Alan calling. I excuse myself to the hallway as I answer.
“Hello?”
“Yo Jeff…”
“Alan, what time is it?”
“It’s, uh, 12:30.”
“Oh. Sorry… what’s up?”
“I think we’re ready.”
It’s one thing to discuss this in the abstract, and another to make physical preparations, but I hadn’t truly considered leaving the school until now.
“Hello…?”
“Right right right… duh… I’m sorry… so, ah… when?”
“We could do it today I suppose… I was more trying to figure when you guys were ready…”
“Jesus, today…?”
“Well, what works for you guys?”
“I mean… we should get started early… we need as much daylight as we can get. Sunrise is just after 7:00… so, does tomorrow work?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess…”
“…alright… do you remember how long the drive is?”
“Three hours?”
“Let’s plan for six… it’s not a race. Do you have a map? Enough gas?”
“Yeah.”
“How many people?”
“Eight.”
“Right… and you did explain the three-way leadership, right?”
“Yeah…”
“And everyone’s okay with that?”
“Well… they have some questions, but basically yeah, they’re cool with it.”
“Okay… bring whatever you have… food, water, weapons, clothes, blankets… we can resupply once you get here, but it’s just simpler if you bring it. Try to stick as close to the 476 via I-80 route as possible. Are you ready for this?”
“…do we have a choice?”
“Two.”
“Once you clear Penn State, leave one on channel two. Save the other in case you lose the charge. Make sure you have fresh batteries.”
“We’ll be alright.”
“Good. Oh, uh… forgot to mention this yesterday… we’re calling this Operation Prometheus.”
“…okay?”
“It’s like a… code word… god forbid someone listens to our radio chatter… whatever happens, you ask someone what operation they’re running. And don’t say Prometheus unless we prompt or say it first. I know it sounds stupid…”
“Actually, it sounds awesome.”
I take a moment to chuckle.
“Glad we’ve got a supporter. Anything else?”
“That should be it.”
“Alright… see you tomorrow.”
“You too.”
I hang up. I’m exhausted enough to go back to bed, but it seems idiotic to avoid telling the rest of the group about this development. I wake up Mel first, insisting that she’ll need to be there for the rundown. Once dressed, I pop into the security office to have Helen make an announcement, then meet the entire group, save for Karen, in the cafeteria. Once we’ve settled in, I direct my first question at Rich.
“How’s Karen?”
“Relieved… she needs time, but at least she’s higher on her chances.”
“Good… well… I called you all here because we’re preparing to intercept some new arrivals…”
“What do you mean, new arrivals?” Rob asks.
“I’ve made you all aware that I have friends in Penn State… we’ve been in contact since this started. About a week ago, they informed us that their water supply had been contaminated, so we arranged for them to join us. Tomorrow morning, a small contingent will depart the Mass in an attempt to retrieve them.”
“Who decided this?” Ally asks.
“We did…” I start, referring to Anderson and Rich as well.
“We’re not in the business of letting people die if there’s something we can do about it.”
Elena and Jimmy stir at this declaration, making me wish Anderson had worded it more charitably. Mursak does his best to explain while Rich continues.
“The snow has mostly melted on the roads… it’ll be an easy trip, considering.”
“How long again?” Helen asks.
“A day, at most…” Anderson butts in. “I’m staying put. They’ll be gone most of tomorrow… and if they don’t come back, Jake’s gonna find ‘em.”
“Him?!” Rob asks incredulously. “What’s he gonna do!?”
“What’s your problem?” Jake pleads, obviously hurt.
“No-no…” Rob resumes. “I didn’t mean to say it like that… I mean…”
“Drop it.” I interrupt. “So Karen, Jake, Anderson, Jimmy, Ellie, and Rob are staying put. Who’s going?”
“Why am I staying?” Rob asks.
“You’re on the wagon…” Rich interrupts. “You’ve got enough on your plate…”
“I’m staying too.” Mursak offers. “I’ve got flat feet… torn ligament… plus, someone’s gotta look after the kids.”
“So…” I start. “Who else?”
“I’m in.” Mel says bluntly, raising her hand. “I’m the only one who exercises… you’re gonna want someone who can run.”
“No arguments here. Any other volunteers?”
Silence. “Okay, I’m gonna venture to say this won’t get it done with just three people. We need one more. Ally?” She appears stunned at this suggestion. “Why me?” She asks after a moment, but the entire group stays silent. As all eyes fall on Ally, she slumps forward into the table, seemingly resigned to her fate.
“…fine.” She confirms.
“Good… we’re off tomorrow morning at 7:00am. I’m gonna say the departing take sleeping pills tonight… nothing more vital to a long journey than a good night’s sleep.”
“Seconded.” Anderson replies. “We’ll make sure you’re undisturbed.”
“Excellent… then let’s get everything on the bus… weapons loaded, packs sorted, clothes laid out. Whoever’s on sentry duty at 6:30, make sure we’re ready to go with breakfast… nothing too fancy, just coffee, tea, and whatever we can spare.”
With this edict, the group loads the excess firearms and ammunition onto the bus. The supplies for the morning are arranged for the sake of convenience, and Rich ends up distributing the sleeping pills instead of Karen. Once I’ve ensured that the weapons are cleaned and ready, and that our survival packs are up to snuff, our individual gear is loaded onto the bus and the Humvee; Mel and I will disembark on the latter, Rich and Ally on the former. Anderson insists on showing me around the vehicle, naturally, but since it has an automatic transmission, it shouldn’t be too difficult for me to operate.
As the lesson continues, he informs me that Helen’s made her decision for Jake’s dirges; I’ve never heard of Damien Rice, but the song is Prague. Anderson confirms he’s never heard of it either. After he’s finished instructing me, Rich and Anderson take the vehicles to the bus depot to fill both with diesel and check tire pressure while Mel and I go over the directions again with Jake. I’m put off by his demeanor, but not for the usual reasons; his exuberance with the envoy assignment is quite the opposite of his usual dreary jive.
Before taking my sleeping pill, I again shower and take care of my bathroom necessities. Having returned from the refueling run, Anderson walks the soldiers of Operation Prometheus through the specifics of using an M-16, and then promises to spend much of the next day doing so with those who will remain. He’s blown away that Mel already seems to have a firm grasp of the weapon. Having witnessed her wrath at DC cubed, I’d rather have her shoot one than me.
Though I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve missed something, I retire to my sleeping quarters and futz around on my computer. I steal a few glances at my prom photo, plug in my phone, and play some games. Movie soundtracks flood my mind as I take the sleeping pill, adding an unfortunate layer of excitement to my computing that would ordinarily fuel a long evening of prose, gaming, and movie watching.
Mel joins me, taking her sleeping pill as well. I feel my thoughts transforming from logical procedure to ephemeral, profound sensation as Dumb and Dumber cloaks my fears in the frivolity of unsophisticated fun. When the movie finishes, Mel’s aimless remarks seem deeply significant, inspiring me to stay awake longer. Through the maze of disorientation, the logical part of my brain remains active enough to insist I go to sleep. Without incident, I roll over onto my pillow and feel a delightful haze wash over me.
01-05-05, WEDNESDAY
My phone alarm infects my dream, temporarily lulling me into the belief that the beeping tone is a communicator from the original Star Trek. Instead of finding an obliging Mr. Scott at the other end, I slam my head into the handle of a drawer behind me. I hope this isn’t a harbinger for the rest of my day. When Mel shoots up in a panic, I can’t tell if she’s suffering from the same aural intoxication or if my potential concussion was the call to arms.
The Ghostbusters montage theme again speeds up what might otherwise be a laborious dressing procedure, and I welcome anything to distract me from the oscillating daze in my skull. Rich meets me on my way to the bathroom and tries to explain an alternate route, but in my state of sleeping pill intemperance, I wonder if he’s attempting to direct me to a different bathroom. I figure it out quickly enough to blow him off and realize that Mel is following me. We brush our teeth in tandem while I avoid my reflection by discussing possible refueling locations on our voyage.
We go downstairs to find Anderson grudgingly supplying us with breakfast, which includes the end of our recently defrosted bagel cache and a proper complement of spreads and butter to go with them. I make myself tea to go and take my pills. While the rest of the group heads off to attend last minut
e bits of business, Anderson beckons me toward the hallway leading to the gym. When we stop, he turns and proffers a massive stack of hundred dollar bills. It’s definitely the most money I’ve seen in my life. Before accepting the bundle, I add up the denominations of the mustard currency straps to reach a sum of $50,000.
“What’s this?”
“Our friends at DC cubed had it.”
“Okay… what am I doing with it?”
“You don’t know what’s out there.”
I would posit that he doesn’t either, but this isn’t the place for that argument, so I let him continue.
“I said before you might have to trade… and you don’t know what people are looking for… if they’re smart it’s water and food. If they’re dangerous it’s guns and ammo. If you’re lucky… and they’re stupid… they’ll want money.”
“Point taken…”
“One more thing…” He interrupts. “I don’t want you thinkin’ you’re soldiers just ‘cause of one battle.”
“…okay?”
“We had home field when those bastards came at us… and they didn’t know you’d been to the college. That’s an advantage you can’t ignore. What I’m saying is… if you run into anyone out there, I don’t want you to forget they have the upper hand. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
He pats my shoulder as we walk back into the hall. I return to my room for my trench coat, gloves, boots, and cell phone. Mel joins me as I walk down to the cafeteria to meet Ally before heading to the gate where Rich already has the bus and Humvee started. As we stand by the gate, I begin to get nervous. We’ve talked about this for weeks, planned for days, prepared over the last several hours, and now the only thing left is to do it. I consider that relativity will leave me feeling as though this entire exercise will consume a week. If everything goes according to plan, we should be home before sundown.
