by Eric Vall
“Got it,” Anna confirmed. I knew she would make sure we had all the supplies, ammunition, and anything else that we would possibly need for at least a week’s trip. There was no telling what in the hell we were going to have to do in order to get into the fort without being noticed, but I knew we were in for a long few days.
I came into the living room and saw that Henry was now asleep on the couch, and Marla stood by the piano with a bottle of gin in one hand and her face in the other.
“You alright?” I asked her.
“Hm?” she asked, and she looked up and realized it was me. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… been a long day.”
That was an understatement, and it was barely noon.
“Thank you,” I told her. “For everything that you do.”
“Of course,” she replied with a small smile.
“He’ll be okay?” I asked with a nod at Henry.
“Yeah,” she said. “He passed out from sheer exhaustion. It took everything he had to make it here. His body is wrecked right now, but with some rest he’ll be alright.”
“That must be why it took him so long to get here,” I said. “He had to sail through all of his injuries.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant,” Marla said, and she poured herself a glass of gin and took a large swig. “He’s beat up pretty badly, but that’s not what worries me most.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“His grandkids,” she said, as if it was a no brainer. “He needs those kids back. He needs to know they’re okay, otherwise he has no reason left to fight.”
I stared at Henry’s sleeping form for a moment. His face was varying colors of yellow, purple, and red, but his chest rose and fell evenly.
“We’ll get them back,” I told her.
“I know you will,” she said, and she squeezed my arm.
“When he wakes up let Rolly talk to him,” I said.
“I will,” she agreed. “He came down a couple of minutes ago, and I let him know what’s going on. I hope that’s alright, but honestly at that moment I didn’t really care. Rolly loves those kids.”
“I know,” I told her with a soft smile. I appreciated her candor and her care for everyone around her. She was a strong woman, and I admired her strength and skill. “Anything we know, Rolly should know. Thank you.”
I left Marla, then, and made my way up the stairs until I found Betty and Kimmy in one of the dorm common rooms with the kids on the floor in front of them.
“Everything alright?” Betty asked me as I came into the room.
“It’s okay for now,” I told her, and I smiled at the kids who looked at me with sad, questioning faces. “Kimmy, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Uh, sure,” Kimmy said, and she stood up and looked at Betty. “Are you alright to watch him for a second?”
“Of course,” Betty said with a motherly nod.
Kimmy led me into her dorm room and I shut the door behind me.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her dark brown eyes searching my face for answers.
“We’re leaving in twenty minutes,” I said. “We need to get this under control before Brody tries anything else.”
“How can I help?” Kimmy asked.
“Your radios,” I said. “We’re going to be gone for a couple of days at least, and I want to have communication with the campus if at all possible. Can you get them to work for us?”
“How far away is the place you’re headed?” she asked.
“About thirty or thirty-five miles as the crow flies,” I answered.
“Oh,” she said, and she bit her lip. “You’ll need a relay, then.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’d need a sort of middle ground signal that could serve as an intermediary place,” she said. “Otherwise the signal won’t be strong enough to reach.”
“Shit,” I said. “Is that something that Paige can do?”
“I doubt it,” Kimmy said. “It’s not overly complicated, but unless you know what you’re doing it would be extremely difficult to figure out.”
“Could you write down instructions?” I asked.
“I could,” she said, “but you really need a tower that’s already at the top of a building, that’d be the easiest way, and you’d just have to adjust some things. I couldn’t write instructions without seeing what tower I was working with first.”
“Damn,” I breathed. If communication was off the table it’d make the attack on Brody a lot more difficult, I needed to know if he sent more men back to campus or not.
“I can set it up wherever you want,” she said. “But I’ll have to come with you.”
“I can’t take you away from baby Anthony,” I said with a shake of my head.
“No offense,” she said, and she bit her lip, “but this isn’t something you can do without me.”
“We’ll have to go without, then,” I said, though I really didn’t want that to be the case. Still, I wouldn’t pull a young mother away from her baby. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to come with us, it was our job to protect her, not the other way around.
“Please,” she pushed, “I want to help. We all need to feel safe here again.”
“Are you sure you could leave him?” I asked. I still didn’t like the idea, but it would be a lot easier to set up the radios if we had someone who was something of an expert there to guide us, but I knew that was a lot to ask of a mother, especially at a time like this. She seemed eager to help, though, and if it was her own decision then I’d allow it, I’d just have to make sure to keep her safe.
“It would be difficult,” she said softly, “but the best way to protect him is to eliminate this threat, right?”
“That’s true,” I told her.
“Then I’ll do it,” she said definitively.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “I know this is a big sacrifice for you.”
“I just need to gather the materials,” she said, and she turned toward her desk then back to me.
“We’ll need to stop somewhere between the middle of campus and…” she trailed off.
“The refinery,” I said.
“Right,” she said, “the refinery. We need a place in between with a tall building, and I’ll need a solar panel. Two actually, one for the refinery and one for the waypoint.”
“The refinery has power,” I told her.
“Oh, okay,” she said. “Just one, then.”
“Great,” I said, and I smiled at the dark-skinned woman in front of me. She was beautiful. Fit yet curvy, but her ferocious personality was what I admired most about her. She was willing to leave her son to try to save not only him, but everyone else on campus, which I found to be incredibly honorable, especially considering her lack of formal training.
“Just give me a few minutes to get my stuff together,” she said.
“You have about fifteen,” I told her. “I’ll get the solar panel in the jeep for you, though.”
“Okay, great,” she said, “thanks.”
“No, thank you,” I told her, and I looked into her dark brown eyes until she blushed and looked away.
“I better get ready,” she murmured, so I smiled and headed downstairs to my own dorm room to get my things together.
When I got down there I found Tara and Bailey throwing clothes into bags.
“Are Anna and Paige packing supplies?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Bailey confirmed. “We’re getting some clothes for them, too.”
“Good call,” I told the blonde. “Thanks.”
“Soooo,” Tara said with a raised eyebrow. “How’d your talk with Kimmy go?”
“Well,” I said as I grabbed some of my own clothes and threw them into a duffle bag. “She’s coming with us.”
“What?” Tara asked.
“What about baby Anthony?” Bailey asked.
“I’m sure Betty and Marla will watch him,” I said.
“You just trying to get her alone?”
Tara giggled.
“Hardly,” I laughed. “We’ve got work to do.”
With how pissed off Tara had been earlier it was nice to see her in a bit of a lighter mood. I needed her head clear for this mission.
I finished putting my things in my duffle, then I headed downstairs. I stopped by the door to gather up the supplies that are normally there, but they were all gone already, so I made my way out to the jeep and found Paige and Anna each carrying a box filled with food stuffs and water.
“Need help?” I asked.
“We got it,” Anna said, and she set the box in the trunk.
“We need a solar panel,” I said. “And Kimmy’s coming with us.”
“She’s okay with leaving Anthony?” Paige asked. “We could probably figure it out if she doesn’t want to leave him.”
“She volunteered to,” I said. “And it’s a bit more complicated than I originally thought.”
“How so?” Anna asked.
“We need to set up a waypoint,” I said.
“Right,” Paige sighed. “It’s too far for the signal to travel without one.”
“That’s what she said,” I agreed. “Think you can find us a good place on the map? We need a tall building.”
“I’m on it,” Paige said.
“I’ll help you with the solar panel,” Anna offered.
“Thanks,” I said, and I led the redhead over to Rolly’s shed.
It was still early in the day, and the sun beat down on us as we carefully pulled one of the spare solar panels from the shed.
“Not to be a downer here,” Anna said, and she looked down at the panel.
“But?” I chuckled.
“I’m just worried about Kimmy coming with us,” she said. “I trust your judgement, but she’s not trained like we are, and I’d hate for her to get into a situation where she could get hurt.”
“I understand,” I said softly. “It’s a valid concern.”
“Right,” Anna said. “And also I’m kind of worried she’ll be a distraction.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, thinking she was referring to my crush on the curly haired woman.
“I don’t want anyone focused on keeping her safe and as a result they put themselves into danger,” Anna said. “She’s not as well trained, so she’s kind of a liability.”
“You’re a good Major,” I told her with a smile as we hefted the solar panel up and began to walk toward the jeep.
“Thanks,” the redhead said, but she didn’t look wholly convinced.
We lifted the panel onto the roof rack of the jeep and strapped it down, then I looked at Anna and spoke softly but firmly.
“I want you to know that your concerns are valid,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said in a small voice. “But I sense a but coming.”
“There is one,” I chuckled lightly. “Your concerns are valid, but I wouldn’t make this call if I didn’t think we could handle it. And I take full responsibility for the situation and I’ll make sure that Kimmy knows her limits. We’ll keep her out of the line of fire as much as possible so that she’s not a liability.”
“Okay,” Anna said with a nod and a sigh. “I didn’t mean to be a dick.”
“You weren’t,” I said. “You’re my second in command, you should have these thoughts. It’s why I trust you to be in charge over everyone else. You see things they don’t. This was a good discussion.”
“Just… don’t tell Kimmy,” Anna laughed. “I don’t want her to think that I think she’s incapable.”
“You got it,” I chuckled and kissed the redhead on the forehead. “Is everything else ready to go?”
“Food, ammo, and everything else is packed,” Anna said. “Including some gear for Kimmy.”
“Remember the C4 we got at the outpost in Lebanon?” I asked.
“Of course,” the redhead answered.
“Pack it as well,” I instructed.
“You got it,” she said, but her eyes widened slightly before she turned away.
“Oh, and Anna,” I said, and she turned around but continued to step backwards. “Grab some chocolate and treats.”
“Are we bribing the refinery people now?” she chuckled.
“Couldn’t hurt,” I said with a shrug. “Meet back here in ten minutes.”
“On it,” she said, and she threw a thumbs up over her shoulder as she jogged toward the science building.
I started back toward the dorm building to make sure the girls were almost ready, but as I crossed the courtyard Rolly came out and started toward me. His walk was serious and determined, and the look on his face matched it well.
I knew he was upset about the children, but this looked different. Something was up with the old man, and I needed to find out what.
Chapter 19
“Tav,” the old man said as he approached me. His tone was all business, and the formal greeting put me on edge even more.
“Rolly,” I said slowly. “What’s wrong?”
“Well,” he huffed and he reached up to rub at his neck anxiously. “I know it’s been a while, but…”
“We’re leaving soon,” I told him. “I want to help with whatever you need, but you have to tell me.”
“I’m going with you,” he said, and it definitely didn’t sound like a request.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said softly. Not only was Rolly too close to the situation, which made him a liability, but he was also in his seventies, and as much as I had enjoyed having him out in the field with us for the first few months I was with the group, there was no need to put him in danger any more. The girls and I were more than capable of handling anything that came our way, Rolly had earned his time to stay home.
“I’m goin’,” he said with a hard nod. “Those kids need me.”
“The kids will be alright,” I said. “We won’t let anything happen to them, you know that. Brody took them to get to me, and I’m… I’m so sorry about that, Rolly, but you know we’ll get them back.”
“They’re like my own grandkids,” Rolly said, and his cloudy blue eyes filled with tears. “I gotta get ‘em back… they’re probably terrified right now…”
Tears were streaming down his face, then, and my heart broke as I watched his chest heave with each breath he took as he tried to control his sobs.
“We’ll get them back,” I said and I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “I promise.”
“No, no,” Rolly said, and he wiped his eyes and composed himself enough to stare at me with a hard resolve. “I’ve been in plenty of bad situations. I don’t need to remind you of that. It may have been a while but I’m still capable. I’m going, and that’s that.”
“It’s not about the danger,” I told him with a shake of my head. “I know you can handle yourself, you’re a tough old bastard, but I need you here.”
“Betty can handle everything here,” he said.
“Betty’s great,” I said. “I love Betty, but she’s not you. You’re who everyone needs right now. You’ve been in the dorm building with everyone, they’re scared as hell right now. We built this place up together so it was safe, and that sense of security was taken away today. You’re the only person I know who can give them a bit of that security back.”
“How?” he asked, his eyes wet once more.
“Just by being you,” I chuckled. “You have a way of making everything seem under control and calm. We call you our team mascot for a reason, and that’s what everyone needs here right now. I need you to lead them, make sure the watch is still going on, and make them feel safe at the same time.”
“But…” he started.
“Kimmy’s coming with us,” I said. “She’s been working on a radio, she’s got it set up in her room now, and she’s going to set one up at the refinery when we get there so we’ll be able to communicate with you all.”
“Well,” he sighed, “that makes me feel a little better.”
“I know it’s hard,”
I said, “but the girls and I won’t let anything happen to those kids, you know that.”
“Yeah,” he said with a small nod. “I know.”
“Henry’s here,” I said, “he needs you to keep his spirits up while we’re gone. We’ll call you on the radio as soon we have everything set up.”
“Okay,” the old man agreed, and he looked down at the ground. “Sorry I barged out here like that, I just… I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I understand,” I said, and I looked him in the eyes. “I want you to call us on the radio if anything happens here. I don’t think Brody will send more guys, not after today, but if anything happens and you get in over your head--”
“I’ll call,” he said. “But we won’t get in over our heads, no matter what happens. We can handle ourselves, you guys just get out there and get those babies back.”
“Good man,” I told him with a grin and a clap on the shoulder. “We’ll talk soon.”
“Give ‘em hell,” he said.
“You know we will,” I said, and Rolly headed inside while I stood in place and took a deep breath.
Tara and Bailey came through the door just as Rolly went back in, and they came toward me with confused looks on their faces.
“Everything okay with Rolly?” Bailey asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s alright.”
“He wanted to go, huh,” Tara said.
“Yeah,” I said with a small smile.
“I’m not surprised,” the platinum blonde sighed. “He loves those kids.”
“We’ll get them back,” Bailey said.
“That’s what I told him,” I agreed.
“I think I found it,” Paige said as she ran out of the library.
“Found what?” Tara asked.
“The waypoint,” Paige breathed, and she held out a map and pointed to a spot on it that indicated a small town. “This place is almost directly between the refinery and here.”
“It looks really small,” I said. “Do you think it’ll have a tall enough building?”
“I think so,” she said. “I mean, even small towns have a post office, right?”
“It’s the best option we’ve got right now,” I said. “Show it to Kimmy when she gets out here.”
