Bug Out! Texas Book 5: Wave of Patriots

by Robert Boren

  “Here comes Chief Ramsey,” Maria said, pointing behind him. Hendrix turned.

  “Chief, did you find him?”

  “No, not yet,” Ramsey said, brow furrowed. “Hear from Holly yet?”

  “Nope, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t around here,” Hendrix said.

  Ramsey’s phone rang. He put it to his year, a smile coming on his face immediately. “Thank God. Kip’s right here. I’ll talk to him. Thanks!”

  “He’s been found?” Hendrix asked.

  “Yeah, he was with Landry and Gallagher,” Ramsey said. “They were at the Fort Stockton RV Park. He’s on his way to your bunker now. Wants to set it up as a temporary office.”

  “Good,” Hendrix said. “When’s he gonna be here?”

  “Soon,” Ramsey said. “He’s coming in a military chopper. You guys should go home and get the bunker set up.”

  “Well, that’s fresh in our minds, at least,” Hendrix said. “We just moved out of there.”

  “Yeah,” Ramsey said. “Who else is missing?”

  “I haven’t been able to raise Brian,” Hendrix said.

  “Oh no,” Ramsey said.

  “Hey, look, you two,” Maria said. “There’s Brian. He’s being walked to that ambulance over there.”

  “Let’s go talk to him,” Ramsey said. They all trotted over.

  “Brian, thank God,” Ramsey said. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just bumped my head. You know the Governor is okay, right?”

  “Just talked to one of my officers who’s with him. He’s on his way. He wants to set up at Kip’s bunker.”

  “Good,” Brian said. “I’ve gotta go. Talk to you soon.”

  “Take care, kid,” Ramsey said.

  “We’ll get going,” Hendrix said. “You take care of yourself too, Chief.”

  “Will do,” Ramsey said. “I’ll probably be there before too long. I foresee a big meeting.”

  Hendrix chuckled. “You must be psychic.”

  “You want me to go with you?” Maria asked.

  “Of course,” he said. “I need you. You’re our systems expert, remember?”

  “Oh yeah,” she said. “Like you said, it’s fresh in our minds.” They made their way to Hendrix’s SUV and took off.

  The drive was bad, heavy traffic everywhere. Hendrix pulled up to his gate and input the code, then waited for the gate to swing open.

  “I’d better change the sheets in the front bedroom down there,” Maria said, sly grin on her face.

  Hendrix chuckled. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”

  “Who do you think planted the bombs?”

  “The enemy,” Hendrix said.

  “Yeah, but which enemy?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say the Feds,” Hendrix said. “We’ve got a mole or two. We’ll have to root them out in a hurry. We were lucky this time.”

  “Many people still got killed,” she said softly as they pulled into the garage. “Not sure that’s lucky.”

  “I know, honey,” Hendrix said, “but it could’ve been a lot worse.”

  They took the elevator to the basement and opened the vault door.

  “You need me to do anything before I change the bed?” Maria asked.

  “Yeah, run the protocol to open us for business,” Hendrix said. “Like you did before.”

  “Sure, I can do that,” Maria said. She walked to the console and got busy.

  “Hey, you hear any more about your sister?” Hendrix asked.

  “Nope,” Maria said. “Wonder if she tried to go back to my apartment?”

  “That’s a long way from the hospital,” Hendrix said. “And all she’ll find is rubble. Does she have your cellphone number?”

  “That might be a problem for her,” Maria said, not looking away from the console screen. “There. It’s set up. We’re ready to receive people.”

  “Excellent,” Hendrix said. “Thanks.”

  “Nice to have a job,” she said.

  “What did you mean about the phone number?” Hendrix asked.

  “Oh,” Maria said. “She can’t remember numbers to save her life. Keeps them in her cellphone and forgets them right away. Her phone got destroyed in my apartment. She won’t remember my number.”

  “Well, she’s not the only one who’s guilty of that,” Hendrix said. “I’ll order some food. We could use some fresh stuff down here.”

  “Good idea,” Maria said. “I’ll go handle that bedroom now.”

  “Okay, honey,” he said. “I think I’ll go upstairs and check around. Pick up a little. He might spend as much time up there as he does down here.”

  “You think anybody will try to target him here?”

  “Hope not. We need to make sure nobody finds out he’s here,” Hendrix said. “I suspect Landry and Gallagher will be with him.”

  “Do you know them?”

  “Yeah, I know them. Landry’s a little stuffy. Fancies himself an aristocrat. Gallagher’s a blast. Great drinking buddy. Old war-horse with plenty of stories. I’ve hung out with him several times.”

  Maria’s phone rang. “It’s my mom.”

  “Better answer it,” Hendrix said.

  Maria nodded and put the phone to her ear. “Hi, mom.” Her brow furrowed as she listened.

  “That won’t work, mom,” Maria said. “I’m on 24-hour call right now.”

  She paused again, listening.

  “No, mom, I mean it. That’s not going to work. Call the hospital and have her picked up, but be careful about it or she’ll bolt.”

  Maria pulled the phone away from her ear quickly, then shook her head and ended the call.

  “Celia showed up at your mom’s house?” Hendrix asked.

  “Yeah,” Maria said. “Should’ve known she’d do that after she saw what happened to my place. Nowhere else for her to go.”

  “You don’t think your mom will call the hospital?”

  Maria shook her head no. “She doesn’t believe in turning family into the authorities, but she can’t stand to have her around herself. Wants her to live with me again. You heard what I said.”

  “We talked. It’s okay,” Hendrix said.

  “She belongs in the hospital,” Maria said, “and we’ve got way too much going on here. She’s got questionable friends. I don’t want her anywhere near here when the Governor is using the bunker.”

  “Does your mom know where you are?” Hendrix asked.

  “No, and I’m gonna keep it that way for now,” Maria said. “She doesn’t know about us, remember?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Hendrix said. “Just know that I’ll support you in whatever way you need. I’m your husband. That’s my most important role.”

  “I know, sweetheart,” Maria said, coming to him for a hug. “How’d I get so lucky?”

  The console beeped.

  “Dammit, they’re here already,” Maria said, rushing over and inputting the code. Nelson’s driver input the response code at the keypad next to the gate, and it slid open. The limo drove in, followed by two cops on motorcycles, and a big black SUV. When they were all inside Maria hit the button to close the gate, and then opened the garage door.

  “Wonder if the limo and SUV will fit in the garage?” Hendrix asked. “It’s gonna be tight.”

  “You should move your car out,” Maria said. “People are used to seeing your car. Theirs? Not so much.”

  “This is why I married you,” Hendrix said. “Smarty pants. I’ll go do that.”

  He went into the garage and backed his SUV out into a parking place next to the garden wall. Nelson’s limo came around the corner as he was getting out. He motioned for them to drive inside the garage, then did the same to the black SUV and the motorcycles. They all fit, but just barely.

  “Governor,” Hendrix said, rushing over to shake hands. “We were all worried sick.”

  “I know, sorry,” he said. “No choice, really. We had to do that for our protection and for the protection of our assets at Fort Stockton.
”

  Landry and Gallagher got out of the limo, both nodding to Hendrix.

  “Nice to see you guys,” Hendrix said. “We’ll round up some food for you inside. Where do you want your agents?”

  “We got four in the SUV,” Gallagher said. “Two on the roof, two on the grounds. The motorcycle cops aren’t sticking around for long. We wanted the extra guns here in case we got followed.” He walked to the agents and chatted with them for a moment. Two went out into the yard with the cops. The other two stayed in the garage.

  “You can shut the garage door,” Gallagher said.

  Hendrix nodded and pushed the button, then ushered the others inside, pausing to explain the roof access to the two agents. They nodded and took off down the hallway to the stairs.

  “Right this way, gentlemen,” Hendrix said, leading them into the elevator. They rode it down and went through the vault door. “Think we should close this?”

  “Yes,” Gallagher said. “We don’t know who was involved with the mansion bombing, or how much they know.”

  Nelson sighed. “Yeah, I agree.”

  “Not a problem,” Hendrix said. He punched in the code and the vault door closed, the bolts snapping out around the edges.

  “Guess we’re ready for world war three now,” Landry quipped.

  “We are in world war three now,” Nelson said.

  “Yeah, I guess we are,” Hendrix said.

  “We expecting anybody else?” Gallagher asked.

  “Probably Ramsey,” Hendrix said. “He said something before we left the Capitol grounds.”

  “Hopefully Brian will be here as well,” Nelson said. “Tough not to have my right hand.”

  “Why’d they take him to the hospital?” Hendrix asked. “He looked fine.”

  “Possible concussion,” Nelson said.

  “Oh,” Hendrix said. “Good call, then.”

  Maria came out of the bedroom hallway. “It’s ready,” she said.

  “Hi, Maria,” Governor Nelson said. “Good to see you again.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said. “Good to see you too. We were worried.”

  “Got any whiskey down here?” Nelson asked.

  “Of course,” Hendrix said. “Even have makings for Bloody Marys.”

  “Ssshhh.” Nelson chuckled. “Don’t spread those stories around.”

  “My lips are sealed,” Hendrix said. “Well, almost sealed, anyway. I did mention your Bloody Marys to Maria.”

  Nelson cracked up.

  “You got video monitors that cover the grounds?” Gallagher asked.

  “Yeah, through the console,” Hendrix said. “Come, I’ll show you how to work them.”

  “You’re pretty worried, Gallagher,” Landry said.

  “You aren’t? We’re under attack. This might not be over.”

  “He’s right,” Nelson said. “Good idea to watch the monitors, and good idea to have agents patrolling as well.”

  “I wish we had a battalion here,” Gallagher said. “How secure is this place?”

  “Extremely,” Hendrix said. “Hardened electricity and communications systems. Enough food for over a year. Air filtration systems. Monitors and sensors. We even have some lethal countermeasures, just in case. We’re in a pretty safe place.”

  “Good,” Gallagher said. “I guess that means I can have a drink too.”

  Landry laughed out loud. “Gallagher, you crack me up.”

  “Just being cautious,” he said.

  “How’d the meeting go with the team in Fort Stockton?” Hendrix asked.

  “Good,” Nelson said. “We’ve got a team there that we can build on in a hurry.”

  “We should kidnap Simon Orr and bury him in lime,” Gallagher said.

  “Who’s Simon Orr?” Hendrix asked.

  “Militia leader,” Landry said. “There’s bad blood between the core group and this guy.”

  “Then why bring him in?” Hendrix asked.

  Nelson sighed. “Failure of intelligence. We didn’t know about the situation.”

  “But you let him stay?” Hendrix asked.

  Gallagher chuckled. “Sometimes genius comes from people you’d never expect.”

  Nelson grinned. “Yeah, that old redneck is almost as smart as this Curt character.”

  “Redneck?” Hendrix asked. “One of those guys who was at the Superstore Attack?”

  “And one of the guys who saved Austin by blowing up that supply depot,” Gallagher said. “He suggested that we keep Simon Orr around so we can find out more about his enemy contacts.”

  “Isn’t that a little risky?” Hendrix asked.

  “I thought so,” Landry said, “but there is potential to gain an edge.”

  “What’s this guy’s name?” Hendrix asked.

  Nelson snickered. “He goes by Junior. Lord only knows what his real name is.”

  “He probably has about ten aliases,” Gallagher said.

  Maria walked in with a bottle of whiskey, a small bucket of ice, and four glasses. She put them down on the counter next to the console.

  “That’s looking pretty damn good,” Nelson said.

  “All kidding aside, don’t drink much,” Gallagher said. “None of you. We might be attacked at any minute.”

  “One will be okay,” Nelson said. “I’ll make it an executive order.”

  “Now there’s the Nelson I know,” Hendrix said. He watched Nelson pour.

  “I think I’ll pass,” Gallagher said. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “You worry too much,” Landry said, taking a glass and having a sip.

  Hendrix eyed Gallagher. “I’ve heard you have an uncanny ability to see things coming.”

  “That’s what they say,” Gallagher said. “It’s really just BS. I’m cautious, that’s all. Trying to stay one step ahead.”

  Nelson’s phone rang. “Pardon me a moment.” He walked away, phone to his ear. He was back in a few seconds. “We got problems.”

  “Oh no, what now?” Gallagher asked.

  “That was Brian. Something happened last night. Word got pushed aside in all the excitement this morning, and we’ve been out of touch for hours.”

  “What is it?” Landry asked.

  “The enemy got one of those anti-sub weapons into Corpus Christi Bay. Coordinated it with attacks on our bases in Riviera Beach and Rockport.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Gallagher said. “How bad?”

  “Lost most of the port infrastructure and the best refinery,” Nelson said, pushing the glass of whiskey away from where he was standing. “They knew exactly where to place it.”

  “How much impact will this have?” Hendrix asked, brow furrowed.

  “The refinery is the worst part. That’s about a third of the capacity we had on the gulf coast.”

  “How come this wasn’t on the news?” Hendrix asked. “I had it on this morning, before the bomb went off.”

  “Communications problems, we think,” Nelson said. “Corpus Christi is cut off, and those two bases are toast.”

  “How about loss of life?” Landry asked, pushing his whiskey away.

  “Not too bad. Just the people working along the Industrial Canal. It didn’t hit the main population of the city.”

  “So what now?” Gallagher asked.

  “We need a team down there to assess the damage. Maybe we can get it back up and running in a short period of time.”

  There was a low rumble below their feet.

  “What was that?” Maria asked, rushing into the room.

  “I don’t know,” Hendrix said. “Nothing on the monitors.”

  “Hey, it’s Agent Freeman,” a voice said over the console speaker. “I’m on the roof with Agent Smith. There’s been a massive explosion to the southwest.”

  “Inside the city?” Nelson asked.

  “Yes sir,” Agent Freeman said. “Looks like Enfield Road and Exposition Boulevard.”

  “There’s another bunker there,” Hendrix said, pulling a b
inder off the shelf next to the console. He opened it and pointed to a map page. “See, look.”

  “We’re being hunted,” Gallagher said.

  Suddenly there was a massive explosion outside, shaking the bunker. The outside cameras went dark and the lights went off for a moment. The generator fired up right away, bringing the lights back on.

  “My God, they dropped a bomb on us,” Maria cried as she rushed to Hendrix.

  “Agent Freeman!” Nelson shouted at the console.

  “There’s pieces of him raining down all around the property,” Gallagher said.

  Chapter 4 – The Trailer

  A long line of people stood in the clubhouse, in front of a table. Curt sat behind it, his laptop and phone next to him.

  “How long does this take?” Sydney asked, at the front of the line with Don, both of their phones on the table in front of Curt.

  “I’m getting pretty quick now,” Curt said. “Two minutes per phone, unless there’s a problem.” He plugged Don’s phone into a cord connected to the laptop and opened the file manager.

  “Where’s Amanda?” Don asked.

  “She’s working the still,” Curt said. “I’ll go help her when I’m done here.”

  “What about the 3D printing?” Sydney asked.

  “I was running jobs while I was helping her before the governor showed up. Worked pretty well. That 3D printer takes a while.”

  “So more printers will help a lot?” Don asked.

  “Oh, hell yes,” Curt said. “Why aren’t you over helping with the still, Sydney?”

  “I’ll go back pretty soon,” she said. “Amanda’s a lot better with that stuff than I am, though. I usually just slow her down.”

  “So what was your part in the business?” Curt asked.

  “Sales and distribution,” she said.

  “Yeah, I could see that,” Don said.

  Curt disconnected Don’s phone and handed it to him.

  “Turn it on and log in,” Curt said.

  Don complied as Curt connected Sydney’s phone to the cable.

  “Okay, it’s up and running.”

  “See that app there, on the front page?”

  “Yeah,” Don said.

  “That’s the reverse tracking app. If you get attacked by a phone with the virus, your phone will buzz. You’ll also get a notification in text, just like you do from Facebook or Twitter. If you do, run the app and it’ll try to connect to the enemy phone and show you their location.”