by Eric Vall
“That’s amazing,” Minji said. “Your home must have some good land around it.”
“It does.” I nodded. “And we were lucky enough to have some farmers in our group.”
“That is lucky,” Minji chuckled. “I can’t even keep aloe vera alive, and it’s supposed to be one of the easiest plants ever.”
“You probably watered it too much,” Paige said.
“I didn’t even know that was possible,” Minji laughed. “It’s a plant, it loves water, right?”
“It’s a succulent,” Paige giggled. “You water them like once a month.”
“Oops,” Minji bit her lip and shook her head. “My bad.”
While the girls continued to chat about plants, I walked around the hold and looked at all the weapons we’d just acquired. There was enough plasma on the ship to blow the entire city up if we needed to, and while I didn’t think we’d use it all up soon, it would be nice to head down to Atlanta with plenty of ammunition.
I didn’t know how our boys were holding up, but if we arrived with this amount of destruction power, then it wouldn’t matter what they had, we’d be ready to take on the enemy troops there.
Even if there were a hundred-thousand men and only a thousand of us total, all we had to do was outsmart our opponent. The NK troops had proven that they were far from stupid, but everybody was susceptible to being fooled, especially if they thought they had the upperhand.
When people were winning was often when they underestimated their opponent.
“Don’t you think, Tav?” Paige asked.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, and I turned around to look at the brunette.
“The people we helped out yesterday,” she said. “Don’t you think it was pretty amazing they survived this long?”
“Oh.” I nodded. “Yeah, they were in pretty bad shape, but I was impressed they’d managed to survive for so long, especially in some dingy gas station.”
“I imagine there are a lot of people like that out there,” Minji said with a frown.
“I would think so,” I agreed.
“A lot of people probably don’t really know how to defend themselves or survive on their own,” Paige said. “It’s probably easier to try and hide.”
“I don’t think most people know how to survive without modern luxuries,” Minji agreed.
“I know I wouldn’t have been able to survive much longer if Tav hadn’t come along,” Paige said, and she shot me a small smile. “We weren’t doing great when we met you.”
“Not great,” I chuckled. “I’ll agree with that. But you were still surviving, and that’s impressive in and of itself. Four college girls and the groundskeeper all lasting through a bitter Vermont winter without electricity? I’d say that’s worth being proud of.”
“Definitely,” Minji said with a smile, and she looked at Paige and cocked her head. “It’s strange to think you were just a college student when this started. You have so much knowledge, and so much experience with battle already. You and the other girls are more seasoned than a lot of the men who are here, aside from the SEALs of course.”
“Oh, thank you,” Paige said, and she blushed slightly and looked down. “I was pre-med, but it took me a while to decide on my degree. I guess all that reading up on other subjects worked out.”
“I’d say so,” Minji chuckled.
I always knew my girls were impressive, but most people didn’t outright say it. I wasn’t sure if they were intimidated by them, or if they just felt like it was odd to recognize four small, beautiful girls for being total badasses. Either way, the girls didn’t get the recognition I felt they deserved a lot of the time, so it was nice to hear Minji compliment Paige.
“Oh, I saw you grabbed my maps earlier,” Paige said after a few minutes of quiet where she and Minji got back to work.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I just wanted to look over the places we saw the other day again.”
“You haven’t decided on a place?” she asked, and her eyebrows pinched together.
“I have,” I said. “The last place we saw. The small peninsula. It’s our best bet.”
“A peninsula certainly sounds like a good bet,” Minji said. “We only have to surround them on one side, then.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “I’m going to go over the plan with Hammer and some of the SEALs later.”
“I’m sure he’d appreciate that.” Minji smiled.
It felt like the past couple of days had flown by. We’d been busy searching the area for the best place to try and attack the Boston troops, getting the ship ready and the weapons counted, and half the time I’d been focused on Tara and the pregnancy.
“So, that’s the final tally on the smaller tanks,” Paige said. “We have fourteen.”
“Fourteen?” I asked, and my eyes widened slightly.
“Yup,” she nodded.
“Fourteen smaller ones,” Minji said. “And three of the larger ones, though they’re not that much larger, maybe double the size.”
“That’s quite a bit larger when it comes to plasma,” I laughed.
“I suppose you’re right,” Minji chuckled. “I still can’t believe the NK troops figured out how to make plasma weapons. It’s like something out of an HBO special.”
“That’s what we thought, too,” Paige said. “I mean, I figured it was possible, but I didn’t think it would be anytime soon.”
“Me, either.” Minji shook her head. “They must have been planning this attack for years.”
“Oh, yeah,” Paige said, and her brown eyebrows pulled together. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I can’t imagine how long it took them to create this stuff,” Minji said. “But they’ve had a grudge against us for a long time, so I can only imagine it was created with this specific use in mind.”
Minji made a good point. I hadn’t considered that the NKs had made the plasma strictly as a way to attack the U.S., but it made sense. We were a superpower as far as countries went, and we had a reputation for having plenty of firepower. They knew if they tried to come at us with regular guns, they’d get slaughtered. They had to figure out a way to attack us that would actually work, and that meant they had to develop a weapon we couldn’t combat.
Or at least, a weapon they thought we couldn’t combat.
The plasma weapons were strong, but American resilience was stronger, and they’d underestimated just how hard we’d fight for our country.
They may have taken most of the U.S. at this point, but we were still fighting back, and to me, that said something.
“I wonder if--” Paige started, but Hammer’s voice came through my walkie and cut her off.
“Tav, come in,” Hammer said, and his voice was deep and urgent.
“What is it?” I asked as I brought the walkie up to my mouth.
The girls must have detected Hammer’s tone as well, because both of them stopped talking completely, and they stared at me with serious and focused eyes.
“You need to get up here right now,” he said. “Someone’s trying to contact the ship.”
Paige’s eyes caught mine, and they were as round as saucers.
This could be the communication we’d been waiting for.
“We’re on our way,” I said with a nod, and I hung the walkie back on my hip.
It was time to play the impersonation game.
Chapter 7
“It must be the Boston troops,” Paige said as she quickly set down her notepad and rushed to the ladder.
My heart rate accelerated as I followed the brunette up to the deck. Minji was right behind me, and we all took off running as soon as we were able to.
It felt like forever, but it only took a few minutes for us to get to the command tower, and I pushed the door open violently.
Hammer’s eyes met mine as I came to a screeching halt, and the girls slammed into my back.
Hammer, Rivers, and Pike were in the room, and it was dead quiet, except for the so
und of the radio.
A male voice came through the small speaker, and it continued to repeat the same Korean phrase over and over.
“Minji,” I said without looking at the woman. “What are they saying?”
She was quiet for a few seconds, then I heard her take a deep breath.
“Come in,” she said quietly. “They’re asking us to come in.”
“It’s been about two minutes,” Hammer reminded me. “We need to respond.”
“You’re right.” I nodded and turned to Minji. “Are you ready?”
“Ready,” she said, and her lips pressed together as a determined look came over her face.
“Answer,” I told her. “But don’t respond until you translate for us, okay?”
“Got it,” she agreed, and she quickly walked over to the radio.
“Don’t forget to lower your voice,” Paige said quickly. “The soldiers in here were men.”
“Right.” The Korean woman nodded.
“What’s going on?” Anna asked as she, Tara, and Bailey burst through the door behind me.
The voice came over the radio again.
“Oh, shit,” Tara breathed. “Are those the Boston troops?”
“They must be,” I agreed.
“How did you guys know to come up here?” Paige asked.
“We heard it over the walkies,” Anna explained.
“Girls,” I said quickly, and I gestured to where Minji stood, ready to answer the call.
“Right,” Tara whispered, and she bit her lip as everyone went silent.
Minji closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and picked up the radio.
She said something in Korean, released the talk button, and stared at me as her chest rose and fell quickly with her breaths.
The room was silent as we waited for the man on the other end to answer. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own heart thumping in my chest.
We’d seen that MiG just this morning, and if they’d gone anywhere near the water they’d most definitely seen the ship. If the soldier on the other end of the call didn’t believe Minji, then we were absolutely fucked. They could have that MiG back over here in minutes, and our entire ship could go down, us included.
I glanced around the room. Everyone’s eyes were on Minji as she stood with the radio still in her hand.
Anna didn’t blink as she watched the Korean woman with unrivaled focus.
Paige held her bottom lip between her teeth so I could see the white from how much pressure she put on it.
Tara leaned forward slightly, as if that would help her hear. And Bailey chewed on the inside of her cheek absentmindedly.
The radio crackled, and finally, the voice answered.
“What did he say?” Tara asked before I could.
“He asked me to identify myself,” Minji said, and a concerned wrinkle appeared in her forehead.
“Here!” Hammer exclaimed, and he fumbled on the desk behind him until he found a piece of paper which he handed to Minji. “These look like names and ranks. I can’t tell what they say exactly, but the setup…”
“You’re right.” Minji nodded as she looked over the paper.
“Thank fuck,” Hammer muttered, and he stepped back over by the desk and let out a low breath.
“Find one of the maritime pilot names,” I instructed. “It doesn’t matter which one, but do it quickly.”
“I’ve got one,” Minji said, and she held the radio back up to her face, pushed the button, and spoke in Korean.
Once again, we were all quiet as we waited for the man on the other end to reply. This was the true test of whether he believed her or not. It was a long shot that the Boston troops knew any of the naval troops very well, but it could happen, and if the name Minji had chosen happened to be connected to the man on the other end, he’d be able to call our bluff.
The voice answered, and Minji smiled slightly at whatever he said.
I couldn’t help the grin that came over my face when I saw her smile. I felt a sense of relief wash over me, even though Minji hadn’t translated for us yet.
“He said his name is Ji-Yoo,” Minji told us.
“That’s it?” Tara asked.
“Yeah.” The Korean woman nodded.
“Does that mean they bought it?” Anna asked, and she turned to look at me with a wide grin on her face.
“I think it does,” I said, and I grinned back.
“Fuck, yesssss!” Anna laughed. “Good going, Minji!”
“What do we say now?” Bailey asked.
“Ask them their location,” I instructed.
Minji nodded, brought the radio up to her mouth, and spoke in Korean.
A few seconds later the man replied, his responses were quicker now that Minji had identified herself.
“Did he say Richmond?” Tara asked once the man had finished. “I thought I heard Richmond in there somewhere.”
“Yes.” Minji nodded. “He said they’re right outside of Richmond.”
“Ask--” I started, but the voice came through the radio once more.
“He says they sent a MiG to check on the ships this morning,” Minji translated. “He wants to know why there’s only one.”
“Fuck,” Anna cursed, and she looked at me and bit her lip. “What do we say?”
I thought for a second, but I knew we had to respond quickly.
A million thoughts ran through my head all at once.
How were we going to play this? When I’d thought about touching bases with the Boston troops, I hadn’t considered that they’d know anything about our situation. Since they sent that MiG, though, we couldn’t lie to them about the ships.
We couldn’t exactly tell the truth, either, but we needed to tell them something, and we needed to do it fast.
“Tell them the other two were taken out by the American resistance,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Minji asked, and a shocked look came over her face.
“I’m sure.” I nodded and glanced to Anna, who nodded back.
The redhead knew my plan already, I was sure of it. She was the most skilled when it came to planning attack or defensive maneuvers.
If we told the Boston troops we were down to one ship, then we could possibly get them to come to us for assistance. If we could manage that, then our plan to funnel them into one area would be off to a good start.
“Tell them the Americans got two of the ships, but we’ve got them cornered in Yorktown,” I added. “Tell them we’re requesting assistance.”
“Okay,” Minji said, and she licked her lips and brought the radio to her mouth.
After Minji spoke, she locked eyes with me as we waited for the reply. The beautiful Korean woman was doing well playing the fake maritime pilot. She kept her voice lowered when she spoke so it sounded more manly, and though I couldn’t understand what she was saying, her inflection seemed serious, which was exactly what we needed in that situation.
As long as the Boston troops came to our aid, we’d be able to funnel them into the right area and take them out. Of course, there was always the chance that they would only send a small group to assist us, or that they’d choose to bypass us altogether.
I doubted they’d do the latter, considering that’d be abandoning their fellow soldiers. However, I wouldn’t put it past them to only send a small group. If that was the case we’d have to take them out and then still try to beat the Boston troops down to Atlanta.
That wasn’t something I wanted to have to do.
We needed the entirety of the Boston troops to come to us, and that meant they’d need to think their fellow soldiers were in serious trouble.
The man on the other end still hadn’t responded, and though it had only been a minute or so, everyone was on edge.
“What’s taking so long?” Tara whispered.
“You know they can’t hear you, right?” Anna asked. “There’s no need to whisper.”
“It just seemed like a whisper situat
ion.” Tara shrugged.
“Is it bad that they haven’t responded?” Bailey asked, and the blonde hippie girl bit her lip hard as she looked at me. “You think they know we’re lying?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t think they know. But I do have an idea.”
“What is it?” Anna asked, but a crackle came over the radio, and Minji listened and responded quickly.
“What did they say?” Paige asked, and she leaned in slightly as she stared at Minji.
“He just said to hold on, he’s talking to the Captain,” Minji explained.
“I guess that makes sense,” Anna said. “This guy’s probably not in charge, he’s just operating the radio.”
“Right.” Paige nodded. “He must need permission from the Captain to actually send out any help.”
“What if they don’t all come?” Bailey asked, and all the girls looked at me.
“Wait, would they do that?” Tara asked.
“Split up?” Anna asked rhetorically. “I don’t see why not. It would make sense for them. Shit, I didn’t even think about that.”
“I did,” I said. “We need to make them think this is urgent, otherwise they might just send a small group to assist us.”
“You mean assist their fake NK friends,” Tara corrected.
“Right.” I nodded.
“What do we do?” Bailey asked.
I thought about it for a moment. If we were going to make this seem urgent, then we needed to prove it, not just say it.
I would have thought that saying the Americans took out two ships would have been enough of a push to get them here quickly, but from the sounds of it, they were still unsure.
“We need to prove that assistance is needed,” I said, and I looked around at the group.
Rivers, Pike, and Hammer each had a plasma weapon on them, but they also had their SEAL issued P226 MK25. The .9mm pistol would be loud enough for my purposes, and I could use all three of them.
The girls all had their plasma weapons on them, and that was all Paige had. Bailey didn’t have her Barrett on her at the moment, but I knew she’d brought it on the ship. She never wanted to be caught unprepared.
Tara carried the H&K Mark 23 I’d found for her in the SEAL’s supply room, and Anna had her M9 under her arm.
