Hannibal is at the Gates

by David Kershner

  Josh starred at her, taking in her grace. The effortless manner in which she came to him was reason enough to reconsider.

  “What if the music were nice and low?” she asked as she methodically wrapped her arms around his neck and began humming a tune. Ever so slightly, she began to sway back and forth.

  Josh instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her toward him in response. The two began a slow turn as if they were on the dance floor. Sam’s gently humming was the only thing needed for the pair to keep time.

  “And the lights were really dim?” she practically whispered as she titled her face up to meet his.

  Josh leaned in to her.

  As their lips were about to touch, she broke the embrace and pushed him away.

  “I’ll be ready in an hour and I don’t want to see any flannel,” she ordered as she exited the kitchen. Josh trailed her out, but stopped and propped himself against the doorjamb as his eyes followed her. He watched as she swished and sashayed her way up the stairs.

  When she made it to the top, she bent herself over the banister and provided him with a gratuitous cleavage shot. “Oh, and tell Dallas we are taking his car and not some dusty farm truck.”

  Ninety minutes later, Samantha came down carrying a bag and wearing an outfit Josh had never seen before. She had on knee high black leather boots, tights, and a skirt that said she was a lady, but short enough to still be playful. She wore a silk top with a scarf and a matching tailored jacket.

  When she visually inspected Josh, who was grinning ear to ear, she nodded her approval. He had dug out a pair of khaki’s, a classic white dress shirt, and ironed both. The sport coat and wing tips are a nice touch, she thought.

  “So where are we headed?” he asked. “I’m one hundred percent at your disposal.”

  “First, we are heading to Columbus. I want to do some shopping in an actual store, not online. Somewhere in there will be a long lunch and maybe a glass of wine followed by some more shopping and dinner.”

  “Uh, Sam? What’s with the bag?” Josh asked.

  “Oh, I called my aunt over in Springfield. We’ll be staying the night with her and attending church with her in the morning. On our way home we’ll stop and do some antiquing,” she replied. “It’s non-negotiable, Josh. Go fill a bag with some extra clothes and a dobb kit. Something appropriate for services and the car ride back.”

  “But tomorrow’s Saturday,” he replied.

  “Josh, she’s eighty-four years old. Every day is Sunday to her. She goes whenever she wants.”

  Josh’s two friends were sitting on the couch observing the entire exchange. They watched as he offered no rebuttal and headed to pack. Dallas couldn’t resist the temptation. As Josh neared the doorway, his old friend made a whipping sound. The childish gesture was heard, but not immediately acknowledged. When he was about to enter his room, he flipped Dallas the bird. The room erupted with laughter.

  While Josh was off packing, Samantha checked her hair and make-up in the mirror one last time before walking over to Dallas. She held out her hand, but said nothing. Dallas looked up at her and scowled. She simply snapped her fingers at him and continued to leave it extended. Begrudgingly, he reached into his pocket and removed the key fob. Dallas hesitated a moment before giving it to her.

  When Josh exited his room a few minutes later, Dallas and James were nowhere to be found. Samantha, however, was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine.

  “Where did they go?” Josh asked.

  “I told them they needed to take the girls camping,” she replied without looking up.

  “It’s the middle of January!” They’ve got no business going out in this,” Josh replied emphatically.

  “It’s time to cut the cord, Josh. What good is all the training when they have no practical knowledge? If they don’t know what to expect or how to handle different scenarios and situations then it’s pretty much useless information, isn’t it?” she replied.

  Josh was speechless. What could he say?

  “Oh, don’t worry,” she started to say to alleviate the dread written all over his face. “They’ve been trained well and they have all of the necessary tools, gear, and knowledge to survive.” Samantha stood up and began ticking facts off on her fingers. “They know how to pack, track, snare, hunt, shelter, patrol, orient, and whole host of other extremely useful skills. Yet, none of these has been adequately tested. The glaring hole in their resume is necessity. One of you boys has always been with them. They’ve never had to do it for themselves. Besides, James, Dallas, and Juan will be observing from a distance to see how they do. They won’t know they are there, but they’ll be watched. Those three can intercede if things turn into the Lord of the Flies. Happy?”

  Josh thought for a moment. After a while, he finally retorted, “Why didn’t you just send them to Lake Hope and put them on a sugar cookie diet?”

  “I’m sorry, the what?” Sam asked.

  “When the ‘squids’ would screw up during basic, they’d be sent to run around and do PT with the SEALs. They dress them in full camouflage and have them run into the surf. Once they came out, they’d be order to roll in the sand. Then they’d have to get up and run whatever distance was deemed appropriate by the SEALs. When they were done rolling around all soaking wet in the sand, they’d look like sugar cookies. It’s the only diet you were guaranteed to lose weight on,” Josh concluded joyfully, but somewhat incredulously.

  “Sounds like sadistic torture to me,” she replied.

  “Potato potah-to. So where are they taking them? For how long?”

  “I have no idea where they are being taken and don’t know when they’ll be back. I would assume it’d be at least a week. Maybe more,” she replied nonchalantly.

  “What! Why? Why would you do that?” Josh exclaimed.

  “Because, if I knew, you’d get it out of me and want to go observe, and that’s not happening. Now get in the car,” she answered as she threw Dallas’ key fob to him. “We’re on a date.”

  Josh groused for the first part of the ninety mile drive to Columbus. Samantha sat quietly and read her magazine, waiting for Josh to speak. He’s a stubborn as a mule.

  “So who’s the Tin Foil Hat Club? Katherine mentioned them the other day,” she offered, unable to bear the silence. “Why did they give themselves that moniker? It seems like that would be just another reason to keep them institutionalized.”

  “They were brilliant scientists, but their given fields of expertise made them privy to some less than savory information,” Josh said.

  “How did you come to know them?” Sam asked.

  “Dr. Vandersal. When she was treating the three of us shortly after the trial I mentioned a few things in passing that resonated with her. She thought we might have some common ground,” he started to say and then chuckled. “For a while there, I think she was planning on trying to commit me too.”

  “So who are they? Would I recognize their names?” Sam asked.

  “Some of them, maybe. Algernon Brixton?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. He helped reduce property values all throughout the Mississippi Valley. Land was so cheap for so long the farmers made a killing because they were paying so little in taxes. Why was he committed?”

  “He had a rather out-sized fear of the New Madrid Fault. When he started shouting about it from the roof tops, his family had him committed,” Josh replied.

  “And the others? How many were there?”

  “Let’s see, the two that helped explain some of the tech concepts the most were Chester Daniels and Reginald Lee,” Josh started to say before Samantha cut him off.

  “Holy crap!” she exclaimed. “You met the infamous Reggie Lee? What was that like? I heard he was crazier than a bag full of cats!”

  Josh laughed out loud at the description.

  “He was actually very down to earth. That is, when he was on his meds. He just needed some help coping when he wasn’t.”

  “You can�
�t be serious. He went on 60 Minutes and spewed some of the most inarticulate paranoid drivel ever produced on television. That guy couldn’t stay with one subject for more than thirty seconds!” Samantha decried. “By the time the interview was over, I actually felt sorry for him.”

  Josh cocked his head toward her and grinned a little grin.

  “Are ya done?” he asked.

  Samantha exhaled loudly and said, “You were saying?”

  “Reginald was a Computational Scientist that used to work for the government. Remember those TV shows about do-gooders utilizing mysterious machines to fight crime? All the whistleblowers running to the websites, blogs, and forums to divulge secret programs that spied and collected data?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Well, it wasn’t fiction. Reginald built most of it. When he tried to tell everyone about it, it all came out as this giant blob of information. The government had him committed for ‘evaluation’. Then they basically forgot about him. He was left there to rot for about a decade,” Josh concluded.

  “Seriously? They can do that?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” Josh answered. “Once you sign one of those little non-disclosure contracts, they’re free to do pretty much whatever they want. I helped him though.”

  “Oh,” Samantha said with a raised eye brow. “How so?”

  “I gave him a purpose,” he said proudly. “Once Dr. Vandersal introduced us I got to know the five of them pretty well.”

  “Tell me about the others,” Samantha said thoroughly intrigued.

  “Oh, let’s see,” Josh started to say before he asked, “Do you just want their names, or what they used to do, or what made them take a break from reality?”

  “All of it. We’ve got another hour until we reach Columbus,” she answered.”

  “OK. There’s Algernon, he was a volcanologist and geologist. He was afraid of the New Madrid Fault and the Yellowstone Caldera. He’d probably have a field day with the natural gas fracking going on around eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Then there was Reginald and he was the tech guy. He learned so much about how the government used his technology that he was in constant fear of Orwell’s ‘big brother’ type stuff. The others were Lily Summers, Chester Daniels, and Alysin Baker.” Josh answered thoroughly.

  “What were they in to?” Samantha asked.

  “Why do you want to know this?” Josh asked.

  “I’m curious,” she answered. “That and it’ll continue to take your mind off of the fact that you’re mad at me for sending your daughters into the woods.”

  Josh grunted before answering, “Ms. Summers was a biochemist by trade. She was committed due to her paralyzing fear of viral pandemics. Chester Daniels was a nuclear engineer with the Navy for a while and then went into the private sector. He and Reginald played off of each other with the tech stuff, but Chester’s issues revolved around EMP’s. Alysin Baker was a pathologist in a former life. She was horrified by the things she was finding in nature. She became convinced that man would find a way to wipe out the human race. She and Lily complemented each other. Those two hit it off immediately once she was committed.”

  “Sounds familiar,” she replied with a smile.

  “Yeah well, Alysin and I found common ground on that one,” Josh answered.

  “That’s quite the collection of insanity though. How did you help Reginald, or all of them for that matter?” Samantha asked as she closed her magazine and sat more upright.

  “I shared some of my ‘crazy’ with them to provide an achievable goal.”

  “I’m sorry. Your what?” Sam questioned.

  “That’s a term that the five of them used because, while they were all institutionalized, nobody had the same problems. They used the phase to refer to their fears collectively. As for my part, I simply helped them realize that if they could show Dr. Vandersal that they could handle and channel their issues without the aid of heavy medication, then they could possibly be released. I’m sure you heard that when they were removing Javy from the woods, I spent the entire time in the kitchen.”

  “I did, but I didn’t want to ask. What was that all about?” Samantha asked.

  “That’s my coping mechanism. When the world gets to be too much to take, the head shrinks came up with breathing exercises and meditation as a way to handle the PTSD issues. I prefer to use my hands though so I learned how to cook. It’s procedural. First this, then that, add this, measure that, and so on. For some reason it helps calm my mind. I figured it would work for them too.”

  “So how did you help Reginald? Specifically,” Samantha asked.

  “Over time, the doc agreed to the discharge of four of the five ‘tin hatters’, but Reginald wasn’t going to be getting out anytime soon. The other four refused to leave him behind though. They are extremely loyal to one another, like a family comprised of nothing but crazy aunts and uncles,” Josh started to answer. He sheepishly added, “I might have had something to do with the insertion of useful tools in a ‘Congrats on the Release’ cake when Algernon was released.”

  “Josh! You helped a mental patient escape? Have you lost your mind,” Samantha said astonished.

  “He was better off with the other four,” Josh answered defensively. “Dr. Vandersal didn’t get it. He would have regressed if they were separated. So, I provided a means to an end. It took him about three days to saw through some bolts on the bars covering his window. Then he used the screw driver, foil gum wrappers, and some other stuff he collected to circumvent the alarm. He totally ‘MacGyvered’ his way out of there,” he said with a hint of pride. “Anyway, once he was out, they came straight to the farm. The five of them stayed for a few weeks and then I sent them on their way.”

  “You kicked them out? After all that? You should be ashamed of yourself,” Samantha said incredulously.

  “No, no. I told them that they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted, but they said they needed a change of scenery. That and they figured my place was one of the first places they’d look.”

  “And did they?” she asked.

  “Oh yeah!” Josh said emphatically. “They looked all right!”

  “So where were they for those few weeks?” Samantha asked.

  “I hid them in the root cellars behind a false wall. Once the hospital staff and authorities relaxed their search, they asked if they could borrow some money for a car and clothes and what not. I gladly gave them what I could and told them to come back anytime.”

  “Did they?” she asked”

  “A few days later they showed up in VW van like a pack of roving hippies. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time when they came driving up in that thing. They said their thank you’s and goodbyes and started out on a cross country ‘excursion’, as they called it. Said they always wanted to see the northwest. Got a blank postcard from Portland a few years ago,” he answered in reply.

  Chapter 15

  January 22, 2023 – January 24, 2023

  Gregg thanked the nice little co-ed for the ride to McArthur and strode confidently into the diner like he knew exactly where he was and exactly what he was doing. He and Emily had passed through the berg numerous times when they came to the area for hiking and camping, but had never stopped.

  The confidence Gregg was exuding couldn’t be further from the truth. Several days earlier he had caught the train from D.C. to Ohio. Once he was in Columbus, he went by his old house only to discover the place had been sold. Sullen and confused, he hailed a cab and made his way to the nearest library. He sat down at the first available computer terminal and typed in a simple search parameter, ‘Josh Simmons’.

  Links to every news article for the past decade and then some came back in his results. He found what he needed in the fourth one he read. It was a local piece in the Vinton Courier announcing Josh’s release from the county jail. It detailed his exploits with regard to the double murder trial, the Congressional hearings, and the obstruction of justice charge he served time for. Great,
my wife has run off with a murderous ex-con. This oughta be fun.

  Now that he was in McArthur, he had no idea where to go. He decided to play the only card he had. Gregg placed a few dollars on the counter and played the ‘down on my luck veteran’ routine to the waitress. People are so gullible.

  Within twenty minutes of starting up the conversation, he knew exactly where Josh’s farm was. The afternoon was spent walking the last remaining distance between him and a perceived reunion with his wife.

  * * *

  Josh and Samantha entered the Martinez’s home and Sam declared, “Got the note you left on the counter.”

  Jesus and Abelardo were sitting on the couch with Evan while Basilia and Evan’s wife sat in recliners. Josh smiled a genuine smile at the pair. He was truly happy to see that they had returned. Their rapt attention was drawn towards the now retired General having a very loud and an extremely animated conversation on his cell phone.

  “What do you mean the Ambassadors are leaving in droves?” Brent bellowed into the device. “That’s months ahead of what we expected.”

  “Well just follow the contingency plans we devised,” he replied to an unheard question.

  Brent sighed and said, “Then remind the POTUS that ‘Operation Delta’ was designed with this contingency in mind.”

  Josh started to ask what was going on when Evan raised a finger to his lips to silence him.

  Brent turned and saw Josh and Sam standing in the doorway. He covered the mouthpiece and offered, “My replacement is having difficulty reconciling himself with his new position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.”

  He then returned his attention back to the person on the other end of the line and answered, “Yes, I’m still here.”

  Brent listened intently and then concluded the call by saying, “That’ll be fine. I’ll look to hear from you at 08:00 tomorrow,” and hung up.

  He slid the phone into his pocket, and asked, “Who’s hungry?”

  “Nice try,” Josh replied. “Out with it.”

  “Can I tell you while we eat? I’m starving,” Brent practically whined.