Survivors

by Rich Goldhaber

  Arnie asked, “So do you have a better plan?” Jessie stood up and walked up to the wall map. Monroe sat down and everyone was paying attention to Jessie. She pointed to a small narrow key located just south of Fort Myers Beach. It was named Big Hickory Island. “I would try to trap them on this small key and then concentrate all of our destructive airpower on this isolated island.”

  Vince Monroe asked, “And how would you get them onto that isolated island? It’s almost ten miles away from Interstate 75.”

  Jessie smiled, “I’d blow up all the bridges except for one.”

  There was a chorus of whats. Even I was skeptical. “Hear me out.” She said. “We blow the main bridge over the Caloosahatchee River at Interstate 75 just before they arrive at the bridge. We station a small but significant force just north of the bridge, here at Bayshore Road. This will probably be near the rear of their main force. The objective of this skirmish is for our forces to make them believe this is our main defensive force.

  “Then we fall back along Bayshore Road and get them to follow us. If they have navigation equipment in their trucks and cars, then they’ll know there are seven bridges between Interstate 75 and the Gulf where they could cross the river. Our forces will slowly retreat along Bayshore Road, and we will blow all of the other bridges with the exception of the Cape Coral Bridge. If it’s dark, they’ll see the explosions and think our only route of escape is across Cape Coral Bridge.

  “Our forces will retreat across Cape Coral Bridge and move south onto Big Hickory Island. We will increase our resistance at the south end of the island, and when all of their elements have crossed onto the island, we’ll blow up the bridge behind them.

  “Our forces will then cross the bridge at the south end of the key and blow the bridge up. Now they’re trapped and we can destroy them all with our aircraft.”

  There was total silence in the room. The military guys were clearly analyzing Jessie’s proposal, and I was internally gloating at Jessie’s ability to once again step outside the box and think about the bigger picture.

  Arnie was the first to speak, “Well I’ll be a monkey’s ass. It might just work, and if it doesn’t, we haven’t risked much at all. If they don’t follow our troops into the trap, then we can still destroy their weapon systems. We’ll have our aircraft attack them at the bridge if they don’t follow our force into the trap.”

  Jessie asked another question. “Captain Sanchez, do you carry Cruise Missiles on your attack submarine?”

  Sanchez answered, “Yes, but you’re not proposing?” Jessie interrupted, “Yes Captain, I am proposing; I’m proposing you direct a few Cruise Missiles onto this narrow island and finish off the lot of them.”

  “Jessie, they’re Americans. I don’t think the government ever planned on using our missiles against Americans.”

  Jessie answered, “There’re two Americas now. You’re here with people from one of the Americas, and you’ve been visiting other small groups of that America. But there’s another America, and this other America is populated by groups like the one trying to destroy us. I think it’s in the genes of our species. There are always those who want to live off the efforts of others.

  “Even if we kill all these guys, others will eventually replace them. Our only hope is for the country to put together a new government before these undesirables grow powerful again, and that’s going to take years to accomplish.”

  Sanchez looked in shock. He was clearly struggling with the notion of his ship being directly involved in the deaths of other Americans. Finally Arnie intervened. “Captain, Jessie’s right. You haven’t been here to see the raping and pillaging these types of thugs have been doing around here. One group already killed dozens of people in the Tampa area. We finally had to take them all down. If you’re looking for a legal justification, then consider them terrorists. They fit the classical definition.”

  Captain Sanchez was deep in thought and finally spoke. “I never thought I’d see the day when I ordered my missiles targeted on American soil, but then again I never thought I’d see the day when the world was hit by a global pandemic. I agree with your logic. I’m going to talk this over with my officers and crew, but my recommendation will be for our ship and its crew to assist you in any way we can. I’ll talk to them tonight. In the meantime, I want your people to map out the GPS coordinates of the entire road on Big Hickory Island.

  Chapter 57

  We flew back to the campus in silence. Arnie stayed at MacDill to draw up the specific battle plan with Lieutenant Monroe, and he promised to send one of his soldiers to Big Hickory Island to map out the critical GPS coordinates.

  After landing, Sanchez left to talk to his men, and Jessie and I called an emergency governor’s meeting to prepare for the upcoming battle. At our meeting Jessie provided the details of her plan to trap the attackers and everyone was on board. We would announce a call up of all able bodied men and women at dinner, and I would explain the need to kill 500 or so Americans. It was just another day at the campus.

  I spent the next hour preparing our rationale for going to war. We wouldn’t be taking a vote or anything. We were a legally constituted representative form of government after all; but our community needed to understand the stakes, because at the end of the day, we would be putting their lives on the line.

  In the middle of dinner I rang the meeting bell and announced we would have an emergency community meeting immediately after dinner. When a thousand people whisper at the same time it makes a lot of noise, and the place sounded like a swarm of ten-thousand bees. The noise only abated when I stepped to the microphone and addressed the crowd.

  “Thank you all for coming tonight. I want to review some recent events with all of you because they directly affect the security and safety of our community. For those of you who have been here since the beginning, you know the countryside has been ravaged by several groups of terrorists.

  “In the beginning, Ralph brought us news of a group of thugs in Georgia who he witnessed kill a man and abduct women. Debbie was raped and Bruce was beaten by a group of bad guys near Arcadia. Several months ago another group of misfits attacked our community, and with the help of the soldiers from MacDill Air Force Base, we were able to defeat them. When we traveled to California to meet with another group of survivors, they told us of their own brand of local terrorists who were also raping and stealing from their community. Lieutenant Monroe and his soldiers flew out there and helped defeat this group as well.

  “Now today, we are faced once again with a threat from the north. I’m sure most of you are aware that several days ago we were able to free a group of women who were being held captive as sex slaves at Fort Gordon just outside Augusta, Georgia.

  “Some of you may remember Brad Davis, who lived here for several days before he and his friends decided to leave our community. He recognized Jessie, who was also being held captive at Fort Gordon, and now this group knows we were the ones who freed their captives, and I think you can all imagine that they’re out for revenge.

  “Very few of you know our friends at MacDill have operational control of a number of spy satellites. These eyes in the sky have allowed them to keep a constant watch on the activities at Fort Gordon. They have identified a massive buildup of people around the base. We estimate there are now about 500 terrorists assembled there.”

  There was a sudden increase in talking as our residents learned of the vast number of terrorists. I waited for the talking to die down.

  “They have broken into the fort’s armory and are prepping a number of weapon systems. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they plan on attacking us, and if they are victorious, I think you can all imagine what might happen to our community and our women.”

  I looked around the room and realized many of our children were being led away from the meeting by concerned foster parents. “I guess I should have asked the children to leave before the meeting started, and I apologize for the oversight.”

&nb
sp; There was total silence now, and for the first time I could see the crew of the USS Jimmy Carter together in the back of the dining area. They were all quietly listening to our meeting. I continued, “Luckily, we have a plan. We have the advantage because we know what they’re doing, and we also have a significant amount of airpower.

  “Our plan is to lure the attackers onto Big Hickory Island. For those of you not familiar with the place, it’s a narrow key just a little south of Fort Myers Beach. We plan on destroying all of them while they’re trapped on this narrow strip of land.

  “Tomorrow morning I would like all of the men and women who helped drive off the last attackers to meet here at nine o’clock. Anyone else who wishes to help defend our community should also be there. We will begin preparing for the imminent attack, and Major Connors and Lieutenant Monroe will be here to explain our battle plan in more detail. Are there any questions?”

  A middle aged man named Berry, I forgot his last name, was standing near the front and asked, “How do you plan on luring them onto Big Hickory Island?”

  I repeated his question in the microphone so everyone could hear the question. “Berry, that’s a great question. As their forces approach the Caloosahatchee River, we will blow up the bridge on Interstate 75. Some of our forces will be positioned just north of the bridge and they will attack the enemy from their rear flank and then slowly retreat westward in an attempt to get their main force to follow them. Other bridges will be destroyed as our forces retreat onto Big Hickory Island. Then we’ll blow up the bridges just north and south of the island and they’ll be trapped.”

  The crowd gasped at the thought of all of our bridges being destroyed, and there was once again a buzz of chatter in the area. Finally there was silence, and I continued. Your Board of Governors has already voted unanimously to approve this plan. As you know, we are a representative form of government, but I would like a show of hands from all of our citizens. All in favor of the plan I have outlined, please raise your hands.”

  It seemed every person in the room supported our recommended action. Not a single hand was raised to object. A man’s voice screamed out from the middle of the room. “We all support you Jim; we’ll do anything to protect our community.” His statement was followed by a thundering shout of approval.

  I stepped down from the podium and the meeting broke up. Several hundred men and women hung around and offered the governors, who were standing in the front of the room, their total support. As the place emptied out, I saw Captain Sanchez and his men meeting in the back of the dining area.

  Finally, he and his officers walked over, and we all sat down at the nearest table. He was sitting directly across from me and said, “Jim, my entire crew talked about what was happening. As I expected, there was concern among some of the crew for using Cruise Missiles against Americans. We decided to listen to your little speech before we decided what to do.

  “We listened very carefully and watched the reaction amongst your people. After the speech we talked and it was unanimous, we all agreed to do whatever it takes to ensure your community is protected. Perhaps as importantly, the vast majority of my crew would like to settle down here, that is if you’ll have them. In this world of chaos, this seems to be a lone oasis of freedom and common sense.”

  I walked around the table and gave Ed a heartfelt hug; very unmilitary I’m sure. Then I shook the hands of each of the officers. We sat back down and talked about the upcoming battle until I was interrupted by Patty. I introduced her to the officers, and then she placed a paper and pen on the table. She addressed the governors. “This is an Article of War. I have summarized the case made by Jim. I want to make sure this is totally legal. History will record on my watch we did the right thing. I want you each to sign the document; I have already witnessed it.”

  I read the short one-page declaration of war. Patty had translated my speech into legalese. I signed the document and passed it over to Jessie. She read it and signed as did the other governors. Patty picked up the document and retired to her apartment.

  Captain Sanchez laughed, “I love it here Jim; you’ve even got a lawyer to keep you all honest.”

  Throughout the meeting and afterward, Hunter and Jasmine sat quietly at the back of the room. Jessie and I excused ourselves and walked with them back to our apartment. Hunter asked, “Is there going to be a war?”

  Jessie answered, “I hope not Hunter, but we’ll do whatever it takes to protect our community.”

  Chapter 58

  It was my wedding day, and it started out with almost six hundred people, both men and women, meeting in the dining area. Major Connors and Lieutenant Monroe had driven over from MacDill. Sammy Lafayette had flown Ami and Blaine over to Tyndall Air Force Base to pick up the Apache and two A10 Wart Hogs. Blaine had passed his flying test and was A10 certified by Captain Stewart.

  Arnie had driven over in a truck filled with small arms. He set up an easel in front of the group with a large map of the area. He explained in detail the battle plane he and Lieutenant Monroe had developed. Our forces would be split into four groups. A good-sized force would position itself on Interstate 75, just south of the Caloosahatchee River Bridge. They were there to defend the bridge in case it couldn’t be blown up.

  The second force, led by Lieutenant Monroe would be positioned just north of the bridge and would be responsible for luring the enemy’s main force onto Big Hickory Island. A third group of small teams would be responsible for blowing up the other bridges crossing the Caloosahatchee River. The main force would wait in dozens of trucks just south of Big Hickory Island. They were our mobile reserves, and if everything failed they would stop the enemy at Big Hickory Island or if the bad guys were able to move south on Interstate 75, they could quickly reposition themselves to defend the campus.

  The residents were in a somber mood, and they all listened intently to Major Connors. His troops had saved them once, and they hoped his soldiers could do it again. Lieutenant Monroe called out the names of some of the residents he had fought with in the last battle. I guess one battle makes you a battle-hardened veteran. Jessie and I were both on his list. We would be a part of his group.

  After the initial meeting, we broke up into assigned teams. Vince led us off to one side of the dining area. There were twenty-four of us, and he explained many of us were going to die in this battle, but we were the key force. If we did our job well, then the enemy would be defeated. He set up a whiteboard against a chair and then used colored markers to explain his strategy in detail.

  We would commence our attack on the right rear flank of their column as soon as the bridge was blown. Our goal was to inflict minor damage and make the enemy believe our force was large but poorly equipped. We would be using machine guns mounted on the backs of jeeps, and the jeeps were being modified at the air base and would be ready for action the next morning.

  We would be supplied with handheld FGM172 SRAW Predators. They were fire and forget anti-tank missile systems. After our initial attack, we would retreat slowly along Bayshore Road. He picked up one of the Predator systems, and we all gathered around as he explained how the system worked. Each of us took turns arming and aiming the weapon. It was like a modern-day bazooka but with a bigger punch.

  Vince Monroe finished our lecture and requested we all meet up at MacDill to pick up our jeeps at 0900 hours. That seemed a bit early for what would be our first day as husband and wife. I turned to Jessie. “I guess we’ll be spending our honeymoon at the military base.”

  She replied with a kiss on my lips and a snicker. I think she was thinking the same thing. With our official training over, Jessie and I headed back to the apartment to prepare for our wedding.

  Chapter 59

  I looked out the back of my apartment and the beach was overflowing with people, except for a ten-foot wide aisle leading from my backdoor down to a platform set up near the water. Hunter and Jasmine were dressed in their ceremonial outfits, and they looked beautiful and very proud to be
participating in the service. Beth was with Jessie in one of the bedrooms and I was prevented from seeing her. I guess things hadn’t changed much in some traditions. At exactly four o’clock our community violinist began playing famous pieces of classical music.

  Beth appeared in the living room and nodded to Paul, who immediately left the back of the apartment and walked slowly to the platform. The violinist stopped playing, and that was the sign for Hunter and Jasmine to do their thing. Hunter picked up an eight foot ceremonial wooden staff with alternating beautiful long red and white feathers sticking out from the side.

  The kids began walking slowly toward the platform with Hunter holding his staff high in the air. Just before he reached the platform he stuck the staff forcefully into the sand. He and Jasmine then walked over to the large ceremonial rock holding the sacred fire. They lit the fire, which began to burn slowly and then shouted an Indian chant followed by “Let the ceremony begin”. With Jasmine standing proudly in front of the podium, Hunter walked over to a large drum and began beating a slow rhythmic beat.

  That was my signal to begin, and I walked slowly forward to the continuing beat of the drum. I reached the front of the audience and saw Margaret in a wheel chair. I was shocked to see her, and I bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. That’s when she started crying, and she never stopped until the end of the service.

  The violinist began playing Here Comes the Bride and I turned just in time to see Jessie emerge from our apartment with Manny smiling while tears of joy ran down his cheeks. I could tell it was going to be one of those days where everyone cried.