Hannibal is at the Gates

by David Kershner

  Tammy sighed, “A revenuer can be anyone who works for the government. Like DHS or BLM. You boys work for any of those?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” the Colonel started to say as Tammy’s eyebrows went up. “We are in the Army.”

  “Well, why aren’t you fellas in uniform?” Tammy asked.

  Throwing a little caution to the wind, Colonel James said, “We are trying to locate someone that might not appreciate it.”

  “Is this person a criminal?”

  “No ma’am. He has a severe case of PTSD and is a danger to himself and possibly others. He needs help and we need to find him. He may have been in here just a few days ago with a buddy.”

  Colonel James reached into the inside pocket of his coat and removed Cecil’s service record photo and placed it on the table. “They were headed over to Big Bear Lake to do some hiking. Maybe some camping too.”

  Tammy picked up the picture and said, “Hey, George. Can you come over her a sec, hun?”

  A burly thirty something man stepped out from behind the bar and started heading over to the booth. Gregg took one look at the tank and reflexively began sliding his hand toward his concealed Glock. The last time he saw a man that big, the man was slumped on the floor with screwdriver thrust into his skull.

  Tammy handed the bartender the picture and asked, “Is this the young man you boys had problems with the other night?”

  George was an observant man and had seen Gregg moving his hand inside his unzipped coat. As he took the picture from Tammy, he said, “Sir, I can appreciate the fact that you are carrying, but you are in no danger here. Please leave it in its holster.”

  Gregg laughed off the comment and feigned ignorance. When he removed it, he was holding his wallet.

  “Just reaching for this is all,” Gregg replied.

  Not taking his eyes off of the picture, the man replied with a grunt and said, “Sure you were.”

  He studied the picture for a few more seconds. “Yeah, this could be him. It’s hard to tell though. The drunk we threw out of here hadn’t cut his hair or shaven in a few months.”

  George handed the picture back to Tammy and returned to the bar after looking Gregg over one more time.

  Colonel James asked, “Did you guys happen to recognize who he was with?”

  “Oh,” Tammy started to reply. “He’s a flatlander that comes up here every couple of weeks. I think he has a cabin somewhere west of Big Bear Lake.”

  Without looking at Tammy, Gregg provided, “Beggin’ your pardon ma’am, but that’s a lot of ground to cover. Could you be a little more specific?”

  Tammy turned in her seat to look at Gregg and quickly noticed the scars on his exposed wrists and the branded welts on the side of his neck. As she motioned to his hands she said, “That why you where that coat, son? To hide those?”

  Still continuing to stare at the table, Gregg self-consciously pulled the sleeves down farther.

  “My Lord,” she said as she leaned a little closer to examine the branding. “Did they brand a star and crescent into your neck?”

  Not surprised by question, Gregg said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Please tell me you killed the guy that did that.”

  Gregg nodded.

  “Good. Bastard deserved it for doing that to one of our boys. How’d you do it?”

  “Screwdriver.”

  “Well done,” she said with a hint of pride in her voice. “The man he was with is named Travis Smalls. Damn flatlander. He has a cabin three miles west of Big Bear. Always bragging about his money and his possessions. Won’t do him a hill of beans without some common sense when it hits the fan.” Tammy sighed a little sigh and finished with, “The folks in Big Bear should be able to help you with a property search.”

  Colonel James wrote the information down on a pocket sized notepad and said, “Thank you, Tammy. You’ve been more than helpful.”

  “Not a problem, anything for our boys in uniform. Now let me get those burgers on for you.”

  Tammy started to slide her way out of the booth when she suddenly turned to Gregg.

  “Son?” she said.

  Gregg stopped staring at the hole he had drilled into the table with his eyes and looked over at Tammy.

  “Ma’am?”

  Tammy leaned over and softly kissed him on the lips and said, “Welcome home. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. You boys are free to dine here anytime.”

  “Thank you,” Gregg replied.

  Tammy exited the booth and called out, “George, call your cousin over at the Sleepy Hallow Cabins and get these gentlemen a room for the night. They don’t need to be on the ‘Rim’ after dark.”

  Chapter 6

  Evan and several of the men from the greenhouse nervously approached Josh as he neared the structure. None of the assembled men wanted to hear that their services were no longer needed, but they needed to know where they stood.

  “Sir?” Evan said hesitantly.

  “What’s up guys?” Josh answered.

  “We were wondering what we’re supposed to do,” Evan offered.

  “About?” Josh asked curiously.

  “Our employment status¸ sir. Do we need to turn in our weapons now that Javy has been caught?” Evan replied.

  Josh knew this day was coming and, frankly, was a bit surprised the topic hadn’t already come up.

  “I see,” Josh said as he stopped walking just in front of the men.

  “Well, sir, we’re not sure what we are supposed to be doing. Javy’s under heavy guard and headed to death row. Given that, we were wondering what we were supposed to do since the security aspect of our employment isn’t needed anymore.”

  “Is Javy dead?” Josh asked.

  “No, sir,” Derek answered.

  “Then you can keep your side arms,” Josh said flatly. “Anything else?”

  The men looked at each other and back at Josh. No one spoke.

  “Look guys, for twelve years I’ve asked you to help me protect my daughters from that lunatic. Until they strap that idiot into the chair and light him up, I don’t consider the mission accomplished. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to talk about. This is still a working farm and we have contract orders to fulfill. We have fruits and vegetables to harvest and deliver. Nothing’s changed.

  “However, given Javy’s current location, we might be able to relax some of the more stringent procedures. Regardless, until that execution day comes, I’d like all of you to continue working with the girls and Heather. The Martinez’s included. I need everyone fluent in our commands and signals.”

  “But why?” Evan asked quickly. “The country is back on the straight and narrow and the hearings are almost over.

  “I’ve had my suspicions about a number of things for some time. I figured I was just being paranoid. I know you guys thought so after I shared a few of them with you individually,” Josh began.

  Smiles and chuckles permeated the group.

  “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I wish I could say it was paranoia at this point. However, over these last couple of days, I’ve had several interesting conversations with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Suffice it to say, this nation is far from being out of the woods politically, financially, or internationally. Things are coming. We are isolated out here and we know how to take care of our own, so we should be safe. That being said, use whatever free time you have and get your family’s prepared for a tough road ahead,” Josh answered cryptically.

  “What does that even mean, sir? Prepare them for what?” Evan replied for the group as the smiles disappeared.

  Josh was about to divulge further information so his employees would have a fighting chance when Katherine drove up.

  “Dad! Dad! Dad!” she exclaimed as she brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop.

  Josh spun around to witness the last of her reckless driving.

  “Rayburn, Elias, and some of those Congress guys are holding a press conference thingy!” she decreed a
s she turned the radio up.

  The men rushed the cab of the truck and listened.

  “Today marks a landmark day for our nation,” the President began. “After scores of witnesses and weeks of debate and testimony, several bills have been placed before me that I am fully prepared to sign. Combined, these three key pieces of legislation will be known as the Safe Food Act. From this day forward, once signed, this law will provide safety and peace of mind for all Americans.

  “To summarize, Senate Bill 3853 bans the development and planting of genetically engineered crops designed for human or livestock consumption. House Bills 8702 and 8703 places restrictions on, and severely limits, the scope, use, and toxicity of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and insecticides, as well as the use of cloud seeding and disbursing agents respectively.”

  Wide smiles and pats on the back went through the group huddled around the truck.

  “You and Sam did it, Dad!” Katherine exclaimed as she leapt in to her father’s arms. “I’m so proud of you,” she said. Then she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “We’ve talked it over and, yes, you have our blessing.”

  * * *

  Suhrab and his men waited until the cover of night to slip off of the larger cargo ship and into the streets of Puerto Penasco. Once his group of eight was safely into the underbelly of the city, each would procure their own transportation and disburse throughout the country. After dropping Gregg in Chammah, the eight men had endured a treacherous journey south through Iran, across the Strait of Hormuz, and into the UAE. Once there, they traversed the western coastline down to the port of Dubai. The rolling seas encountered during the crossing around the Horn of Africa had them chucking their guts out.

  Suhrab had chosen the southwest region for himself because its terrain and climate were comparable to his homeland. These states were comprised of high deserts in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. That appealed to him. He knew what to expect and how to operate in the obsessively dry heat and could handle the wild swings in temperature between day and night. These issues were less of a factor now that winter was approaching.

  The contingent had contemplated trying to work their way up to northern Europe, but the prospect of attempting to cross that many EU borders was a deterrent in and of it itself. Over the span of three weeks, all of the operatives should have arrived at their assigned region in the U.S.

  Suhrab and his men were convinced that, with eight men running around with small portable RF devices, functioning independently, there was no way they would all be caught. Even if the U.S. authorities caught one or two men, that still left six to accomplish the mission. Needle in a haystack didn’t begin to describe it. Since they weren’t communicating or procuring large quantities of explosives, chemicals, or fertilizers, there wouldn’t be anything to trigger the government software programs.

  After meeting up at a seedy dockside cantina one last time, the men split up and began their solitary journey to the border towns of Nogales, Naco, and Agua Prieta. Less than two weeks after reaching Puerto Penasco, all of the group members were in the United States and working their way through the heartland to their destinations. In a few short months, all hell was going to break loose.

  * * *

  Evan turned the corner, with bags in hand, and headed down the stairs of the Martinez’s farmhouse. To his astonishment, Josh and his family, as well as Juan, Basilia, and their sons, were standing in the living room waiting for him.

  “What’s all this about? I’m just going on vacation for a few weeks. I’m coming back,” Evan said clearly surprised at the gesture.

  In truth, the man was headed to collect his young wife from her parents. Josh’s voracious reading habits and spatial ability connected a great number of dots on the political, financial, and military landscape. Some were debunked by the General. However, Josh’s remote location and the pair’s friendship allowed Brent to confirm others. He’d wind up in Leavenworth if any of it ever reached the light of day.

  “I’ve got a surprise for all of you,” Josh said. “So I asked everyone to get together to send you off and see the surprise.”

  Layla nudged Heather and whispered, “This oughta be good. Dad’s presents are always over the top.”

  Josh motioned for the assembled to take a seat. He produced a legal sized manila envelope and a cardboard tube. He handed the documents to Katherine and the tube to Juan.

  “OK girls. Open it,” Josh said.

  Katherine did so with relish and removed the paperwork.

  “What is it?” Heather asked.

  “Yeah, come on... spill it,” Layla intoned.

  “It’s a deed to fifty acres called the ‘Three Sisters Farm’? I don’t know what I’m looking at. I don’t understand,” Katherine said.

  “Here, let me see,” Heather said as she turned the documents toward her.

  “Oh my God, Dad. This is too much. We can’t accept this,” his daughter stated in shock.

  “It’s already done,” Josh replied smiling.

  “Too much what?” Layla asked.

  “These are the closing docs from a land deal. It says Dad bought the neighbors farm. He registered the property as farmland under the name ‘Three Sisters Farm’.”

  Katherine squealed at the pronouncement, jumped up, and ran to her father. Basilia quickly dodged the onrushing woman. Josh caught her and returned the hug.

  “You’re kicking us out?” Layla asked.

  “Oh, honey. No, I’m not doing anything of the sort,” Josh said as he put Katherine down. “With Javy rotting in jail, I think it’s about time you spread your own wings and see what’s out there. Besides, my cabin isn’t big enough for everyone. It’s time for you guys to find your own path.”

  The fear in Layla’s eyes was palpable and the group saw it. Heather placed an arm around her sister and said, “It’s gonna be great, just the three of us, working the land... bossing Jesus and Abelardo around.”

  “Hey!” the Martinez boys said in unison to which she winked in response.

  “Besides,” Katherine said continuing the thought, “He won’t be hundreds of miles away. He’s right on the other side of the hedgerow.”

  Not fully buying into the concept, Layla said, “Well, where will we live?”

  Her sister answered the question as she had continued reviewing the documents.

  “It says here that the fifty acre property comes with a three bedroom, two and half bath farmhouse as well as assorted barns and outbuildings.” Jokingly, Heather looked at her father and said, “Only two full baths? That’ll never work. Don’t you know a girl needs her own space? Geez, Dad.”

  Not wanting to fully interrupt the banter, but curious as to what he was holding, Juan said, “So what’s this?”

  “Open it,” Josh replied.

  The farm manager slipped the white plastic end cap off and upended the cardboard tube. A rolled up set of blueprints slid out and into to his open hand. He unfurled the document and spread the bound renderings out on the table for all to see.

  He took one look at the front elevation rendering and said, “Señor! This is too much!”

  The girls extracted themselves from the couch and came around to look over his shoulder.

  “It’s already done,” Josh said. “They start construction next week. You guys can stay here until it’s finished.”

  Turning the pages, the blended families scanned the documents together. There were a couple of ‘oh’s’ and ‘ah’s’ as each of the blueprints was revealed.

  After buying the property with Amanda’s money and fixing the things that needed attention, there was enough left for Josh to provide a modest remodel of the Martinez farmhouse as well. All of the money was now officially gone, the weight lifted. Aside from the expense of travelling to California to find Heather, Josh had spent the bulk of the life insurance money to take care of his daughters and extended family.

  “Oh my,” Basilia exclaimed as she continued reviewing the blueprints. “Yo
u would do this for us?”

  “Señora, you and your family are as much a part of our family as we are of yours. You helped me raise these girls and provided them with a constant, stable, and sane female presence. I could never begin to repay you for that kindness. This is the least I could do. Besides, being paid in chickens won’t provide you something you’ve most definitely earned.”

  Juan stood, walked to Josh, and extended his hand as he said, “Gracias, Señor.”

  Shaking Juan’s hand, Josh replied, “You’re most welcome, my old friend.”

  Shortly thereafter, hugs and handshakes were exchanged as Evan headed to the SUV. Josh would drive him to Columbus to catch the train to his destination.

  As he was searching for the key fob, Heather pulled her father aside and quietly asked, “Are you dying?”

  Laughing out loud, Josh said, “No. Why would you ask me that?”

  “Because you just blew a quarter mil, that’s why,” she answered. “People don’t do that unless they’re doctor tells them they’re terminal or they found religion.”

  “The money wasn’t even mine,” Josh replied. “It was from the life insurance policy paid to me from my ex-wife’s estate. Samantha suggested that I spend it on you girls and that’s what I’ve done. To a farmer, that was easily three years’ worth of revenue, but it was tainted. It needed to be used for good.”

  Josh stopped and surveyed Heather’s confused face. “Why don’t you ride along with me to take Evan to the train station?”

  * * *

  Cecil Sullivan sat on the edge of the bed sobbing uncontrollably. From there, he could see Travis lying in a heap on the floor. The pool of blood was slowly spreading its way across the floor.

  He didn’t know what to think or do. All he had were questions. Why was his friend bleeding? Why were his own hands covered in blood? Had he tried to help? Everything was blank. It was like someone had erased his mind.

  If Cecil could have remembered, he would have known that his Air Force buddy had rushed to comfort him when he heard Cecil screaming in his sleep. Unfortunately, the man had not put the knife down that he had been using to prepare breakfast. When Cecil opened his eyes and caught sight of the implement, his mind’s eye saw Aban about to torture him again.