Hannibal is at the Gates

by David Kershner

  The two men sat in silence staring at the fire until Tom said, “So Weapons Sergeant Chastain, what was your specialty, if you don’t mind my asking.”

  Without looking up, he answered, “Shooter.”

  “I see,” the former President said knowing exactly what that meant. “What was your call sign... or handle, or whatever you guys use?”

  Gregg smiled at the man’s attempt.

  “Did you know they gave me the moniker ‘Ironside’? Like I’m some sort of slow moving ship. The nerve of those kids in the Secret Service sometimes. You’d think they’d let me pick it,” he concluded incredulously.

  “Longbow,” Gregg said softly.

  “Like the Europeans of old?” Tom asked.

  “Yeah, our unit derived its names from the Greek and Roman militaries,” Gregg answered matter-of-factly.

  The First Lady returned and interrupted the stilted conversation. They pair stood again.

  “Oh, sit down. I was just playing with you boys,” she said as she took a seat in the arm chair next to the couch.

  Once she was seated, she looked at Gregg and said, “So, how’s the recovery going young man?”

  “Ma’am?” Gregg asked.

  “Please don’t presume that I have no idea what goes on in this house, Sergeant Chastain. You’ve been through hell and back. Now, how are you doing? Are you able to sleep through the night yet? Was your bed comfortable?” she asked.

  Gregg thought for a few moments before answering. When he did, he just said, “Not especially, ma’am.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I’ll have someone look into that. And you can dispense with the formalities and call me Evelyn,” she said with a warm smile.

  “Okay,” Gregg replied.

  “What’s on your mind, Sergeant?” the First Lady asked.

  The two men sat there staring at her before Gregg answered. “My wife,” he began. “She doesn’t know I’m alive. The minute I mentioned the nukes they shipped me straight to Colonel James in Germany. All I want to do is get back to her,” he concluded.

  “I thought as much. Hold on,” she said as she excused herself again. A few minutes later she returned with paperwork in hand. She placed the stack in Gregg’s lap as she retook her seat.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “That is everything my aides could find on your wife. I had them start looking after Jim told me about you and Cecil. As far as I can tell, it looks like she took a sabbatical from Bathemore.”

  “I tried to reach her when I was dumped in northern Iraq, but her cell was disconnected and her work phone went straight to voicemail,” Gregg added.

  “If I’m not mistaken, I believe Secretary McInerney hired her as a consultant and he put her out in the field running tests on-site,” Sarkes interjected. “Last I heard she was trying to track down one of the other witnesses from the hearings. That big fella that saved the whistleblower.”

  “Simmons?” the first lady offered.

  “Yeah, that’s it. She seemed very interested in getting to know him. I think he’s a farmer somewhere in Ohio.”

  “What farm? Where? What’s his name!” Gregg hissed.

  Chapter 12

  Lily Summers and Chester Daniels stood staring at the two mounds of fresh dirt. In turn, each walked toward the new graves and placed a rose on the makeshift crosses. The bitter January air in the Pacific Northwest was piercing through their tattered dirt covered clothing. Behind them, Alysin Baker was fashioning little hats from several pieces of tin foil.

  “What now?” Lily asked of Chester.

  Chester looked up from the gravesite and stared out on the Portland skyline spreading out below the wooded knoll. The Rose City was still weird, but now it was out of control, violent, and chaotic. In the distance, Chester and Lily could see the remains of several charred blocks where a number of breweries and micro distilleries once stood. The flames, smoke, and ash from the latest clash with National Guard troops could be seen rising toward the horizon as well.

  “I don’t know. It might be time to head somewhere else, Lily. We need protection and sanctuary from this. We’re not cut out for this fighting in the streets stuff,” Chester replied.

  Alysin finished making her hats and walked between them as she made her way to the gravesite. She carefully placed each tin foil hat on the crosses and took up position between the two. The three stood silently for a few minutes and watched their adopted city burn.

  “I think we need to go see Josh,” Alysin said without pretext.

  “Alysin, that’s not even remotely possible. For starters, it’s over two thousand miles away,” Chester started to say.

  “And lets’ not forget its winter. I don’t know about you, but I’m not prepared to cross the Rockies on foot,” Lily added.

  “We have no money, no food, and no transportation,” Chester concluded the combined rebuttal.

  “And, and, and. But, but, but,” Alysin replied emphatically. “That’s all I ever hear out of you two anymore. Whatever happened to can, can, can and do, do, do? Josh treated us right. He didn’t call us nut jobs when everyone else did. He helped us get out here, away from that institution, and ‘control our crazy’ enough to get through Dr. Vandersal didn’t he?” Alysin explained.

  The five members comprising the ‘Tin Foil Hat Club’ had been institutionalized for one reason or another over the years. All had been highly educated and worked in respectable fields with nice salaries. Over time, though, each had slid further and further over the edge. As new discoveries were made, new conclusions drawn, their collective eyes were opened wider. Their group started on a lark at the institution when each shared why they had been committed.

  “Or have you guys forgotten all about the Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, because I still do. I remember the day Dr. Vandersal brought Josh in to meet us. Now that was a man in control of his crazy,” Alysin added.

  “Yeah,” Lily said recalling the memory. “He took one look at our group with our little tin foil hats and said, ‘What are ya in for’?” All three smiled fondly at the impersonation. “He sat with us for hours just talking about our various issues.”

  “He was the first person I’d met in years that didn’t write me off as certifiable the minute he saw me,” Chester added. “He asked questions like he was trying to solve problems of his own. Remember when he talked her into the field trip to his farm? I thought she’d pop a gasket. I would have put money that her response would have been ‘you wanna let the patients run the asylum?’ That man could talk anyone into just about anything.”

  “How do you imagine us getting there, Alysin?” Lily asked. “Winter is already here and we have nothing. Everything we owned went up in flames when the van exploded. I know you can’t handle the bad and the negative in life, but those are the facts.”

  “It’s not that I can’t deal with it, Lily,” Alysin started to say. “That was always everyone’s mistake. It’s that I simply choose to look at the bright side of a situation. Right now the only positive I can think of is getting back to Josh’s farm. He said we were welcome there anytime, no matter what.”

  “You haven’t answered the question, Alysin,” Chester chimed. “Avoidance won’t get you out of answering this.”

  Alysin knelt between the two mounds of dirt and began to pray. She fingered, twisted, and rotated her rosary for fifteen minutes before she answered. Lily and Chester sat silently and watched the city burn itself to the ground.

  After her brief pause for introspection, Alysin answered with, “This is the left coast. People hitchhike all the time. We should hitch our way down into California and take the southern route. We can stow ourselves on a big rig or in the cargo hold of one of the Zephyr trains headed east if we can’t find a ride.”

  Chester and Lily contemplated her response and conferred with one another for some time. They couldn’t argue with her logic aside from the obvious safety concerns.

  “Say we do this and just start walking.
We need food and shelter. Where do we get that if we don’t have the kindness of strangers to rely on?” Chester replied.

  “Churches,” was all Alysin said.

  “Your grand plan for hitchin’ all the way back to Ohio is churches?” Lily intoned.

  “This could work,” Chester interjected. “If we stick to secondary roads, we could conceivably ask for aid from our brethren. They’d assist us in our time of need.”

  “There are hundreds of thousands of people in need, Chester. Who knows how many are tryin’ to hitch somewhere else too. Who’s to say they haven’t worn out any welcome we might have received,” Lily said exacerbated.

  Behind them, a fallen branch cracked. The three turned quickly to see a Portland police officer standing by the graves.

  “You guys do know that this isn’t a cemetery, right?” the man asked.

  The remaining members glanced down and the piles of dirt, but said nothing. The stranger crossed himself as he passed between the graves and stood in line with them looking out over the city.

  “This use to be a beautiful city, albeit plenty weird.” He exhaled loudly before concluding, “Sure went to hell in a hand basket quick enough though.”

  “You’re not going to arrest us?” Chester said.

  “Nah, there’s no room in the jail and the courthouse is burning. There’s no point in even citing you. I just came up here to say goodbye,” he answered.

  The three remaining members stole quick glances at one another before Lily asked, “Why are you leaving? Where are you headed?”

  “I was gone at the end of the month anyway. I’ve still got family back in St. Louis so I got a new job back there to be closer to them,” he replied. “I heard you guys say that you’re in need of a ride. You’re welcome to tag along as far as the Mississippi if you want. It’s just me now so I have some extra food and supplies I can give you.”

  “You would do that for us?” Lily asked.

  “Seems like the Christian thing to do. Besides, your friend seemed to be praying awful hard for a really long time,” he answered and looked over at Alysin. “If I can be someone’s answered prayer then my time here has been worth it.”

  “What’s your name?” Chester asked.

  “Officer Victor Henry. Everyone just calls me Vic,” he replied.

  “Did you lose someone close?” Lily asked.

  “My brother, Dominic,” he said somberly. “We used to call ourselves the ‘Vic and Nic Show’ when we were together. He was standing next to some idiot’s idea of an IED when it went off.”

  Alysin gasped and covered her mouth.

  “That thing took out our van when it exploded,” Chester started to say as he gestured toward the fresh graves. “These two were in it when the gas tank was pieced and it went up. They never even had a chance.”

  “I’m sorry. Who were they?” Vic asked.

  “Reginald Lee and Algernon Brixton,” Chester said stoically.

  “No kidding? The Reginald Lee? I remember watching him implode on national TV. 60 Minutes I think it was. He sure scared the hell out of some folks. Some compared his rant to the War of the Worlds broadcast in the 30’s.”

  “He was a brilliant man,” Lily said emphatically.

  “I’m not saying he wasn’t, ma’am. It’s just that he could have found a better way to present his ideas that didn’t freak people out is all. In truth, he’s the reason I got rid of all my technology. I deactivated all of my online accounts, cell, home phone, you name it. The PD only does direct deposit so they forced me to reopen my checking account. I withdraw my paycheck the minute it hits the bank just in case. I use library computers to looks things up from time to time though. My house is devoid of tech. I wasn’t going to take any chances if half of what he said was true. As a result, I learned how to use tools like the nocturnal, pelorus, and the sextant. Taught myself how to make my own sundial to replace an old ring dial I picked up,” he stated proudly. “I owe that man a great deal for opening my eyes. If I can repay that by giving his friends a ride to St. Louis, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”

  “Finally!” Lily said, “Some civilian understands!”

  Shocked at her enthusiasm, Vic jumped a little.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I just get excited when someone gets it.”

  Smiling at her pronouncement, Vic said, “I’ve heard the name Algernon before, but I’m not familiar with him. Who is he?”

  Chester answered somberly, “Algernon Brixton was a ‘Gentlemen Scientist’. He came from money back east so he never had to work. As a result, he spent his time learning and studying geology and volcanology.”

  “My God!” Vic proclaimed. “He’s that guy? He had people so scared that housing prices along the Mississippi took decades to recover.”

  “That’s the one,” Alysin said proudly.

  “I thought they locked him up. Dude was crazier than a –,” he started to say and then stopped short when he saw Lily about to implode. “All of that Yellowstone caldera and New Madrid stuff really freaked some folks out,” Vic concluded.

  Chester quickly reached out and grabbed Lily.

  “Control the crazy,” he quietly whispered in her ear.

  Lily spun away from the three to go and perform her breathing exercises. Josh had taught her this technique as a way to display improvement to Dr. Vandersal. She needed to do this every so often when she got worked up over a topic or had a disagreement.

  “I’m sorry. Did I upset her?” Vic asked.

  “She and Algernon were very close. She doesn’t like it when people speak badly of him. He may have been wrong about New Madrid, but his instruments and inventions were quickly accepted by the USGS and employed in numerous active zones,” Chester responded calmly.

  Vic took in Chester’s comments and loudly said over his shoulder, “I’m sorry...” and then turned to Chester and said, “What’s her name?”

  “Lily,” he answered.

  “I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Realizing that they hadn’t introduced themselves, Chester said, “Where are our manners? Victor Henry, this is Alysin Baker, that is Lily Summers, and I’m Chester Daniels.”

  Chester and Vic shook hands and Alysin curtsied. The gesture made Vic chuckle. Alysin stood there staring at Vic for a few moments before Chester noticed.

  “If you have a question Alysin, just ask. You know people get uncomfortable when you just stand there and stare at them,” Chester said gently.

  Vic shifted his gaze away from the burning city to Alysin and said, “Yes?”

  “I was wondering what happened? There were minor food riots all summer, but nothing like this. Nobody ever got hurt before. Where’s the press? Where are the circling news helicopters? The National Guard showed up and boom!” she said with emphasis. “All hell breaks out all over town.”

  “One of the kids in the Guard discharged his weapon. It was an accident, but it went off while the food was being distributed. It caused a panic and the mob lost it. The delivery was trampled, shops were looted, and people died. The government didn’t want another Kent State story so they shut down everything. All roads in and out of Portland for a twenty-mile radius have been closed. No news and no people are getting in or out. Companies that wouldn’t willingly comply with the order had their power cut. Portland is one big media black hole.”

  “So we are all on our own,” Lily said rejoining the group. “How can they do that? What about freedom of the press?”

  “What does it matter, Lily? You and I both know they only report what Washington tells them,” Alysin shot back.

  “Provided it’s one of their guys in the White House!” Lily added as the two high-fived each other.

  In an attempt to bring some sanity back to the discussion, Chester asked, “What are they telling people on the highways and interstates that approach the city? They have to be asking questions, don’t they? Folks are smarter than that, right?”

  “A person is s
mart. People are sheep and when they get spooked they turn into dumb panicky mobs,” Vic replied to nods from the other three. The officer smiled.

  “Last I heard they are employing the fine art of misdirection. Seems like everyone is being told something different,” he added.

  “Like what?” Alysin asked.

  “Oh, things like hazardous waste spill, train derailment, toxic fumes, automobile pile-up, plane crash... stuff like that,” he replied.

  “And people are buying that BS?” Lily intoned.

  “So far. They won’t for long, though,” Vic answered.

  “Are there other cities as bad off as Portland?” Chester asked.

  “As far as I know, Portland is the only city with National Guard troops. The Governor is about to declare martial law. There have been issues in some of the larger ones for the last six months though. If it wasn’t the produce truck hijackings it was ration book forgeries. Winter’s here and the people that didn’t store enough food are starting to take it from those that did. That doesn’t even begin to account for the dealers, pimps, working girls, and addicts that sold their allotment on the black market. We need to get moving before the authorities widen their perimeter around Portland though. We can talk more on the ride. You guys ready here?” Vic answered and asked.

  “I need to deliver my eulogy,” Alysin answered.

  “Make it a quick one, hun. We gotta go,” Vic said.

  Alysin smiled and curtsied once more. She then took position behind the two crosses and recited two verses from memory.

  “My first reading is John 6:35-40. It’s a message about eternal life,” she said and then quoted the bible verse. “My second is from 1 Kings 13:2.”

  Chester and Lily, who had been standing with eyes closed and heads bowed, quickly looked up at her. One of Alysin’s favorite pastimes on their homestead was to read her Bible to the other four by the light of the fire in the evenings. As a result, even though they weren’t the most religious bunch, they all knew what was coming.

  “And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.”