by J. J. Holden
“Listen, Cassy. Many of those loaner troops married into the Clan. They don’t want to leave any more than we want them to.”
Cassy hesitated, then said, “Well, the only thing I can tell you with certainty is that I’m not going to force any soldiers back to New America. Those who wish to stay are welcome to.”
Frank nodded and said, “Well, that’s a good start. I can tell this to our people, and many of them will calm down. But we still need a long-term plan.”
“Look, I’ve already put every member of the Confederation on high alert. I’ve sent out requests to have them shift as many units as they can to the south, to support the Clan against any future attacks. I’ve sent word to all of Taggart’s soldiers, spread throughout the Confederation, that New America wants them to come home—and that if any of them consider the Confederation to be that home, then they are welcome to stay. I’ve even made sure they wouldn’t be considered traitors in New America, thanks to Jaz and Choony.”
Frank raised one eyebrow at her and said, “Damn, Cassy, that’s all you really had to say. I imagine most of Taggart’s troops will decide to stay. As long as we can start defending ourselves against the Maryland ’vaders—and winning sometimes—then all the Clanhold leaders will settle down.”
“And hopefully so will you,” Cassy said. She forced an easy smile onto her face.
“I’ll try. But you know, all of this makes me wonder why Taggart chose now to call his troops back. Our reports from Jaz and Choony suggest New America might be getting some pressure from the ’vaders in northern Pennsylvania, and of course, there’s the chaos in Philly.”
Cassy shrugged. “No one knows what’s going on there. If the Maryland invaders won in Philadelphia, they may now be putting pressure on Taggart from the south. That’s a lot of pressure, coming from north and south alike.”
“It would explain why he wants his troops back.”
Cassy paused as an idea struck her. They needed more intel… “That’s just conjecture. We need to get eyes on the situation. So… maybe you should send Joe Ellings to Philly. He’s got family there, right?”
For a brief moment, Frank’s face flashed with surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t considered that option before. “Yeah. And Joe is charming as hell with that thick, farm-hick accent and easy smile of his, so if anyone can get into Philly alive and then get out again, it would be him. I’ll make the arrangements.”
Cassy shifted her gaze to the window, looking outside again. The crowd hadn’t inched any closer to her office building, which was a good thing. It meant they weren’t likely to start any real trouble. She didn’t think they’d harm her or anyone else, but they were pissed and scared—much like she felt—so who knew for sure? She kept her eye on them.
She didn’t relish the idea of sending Joe off into unknown territory, and usually she would have sent Jaz and Choony, but she did have confidence in his capabilities. Plus, ‘Jazoony’ were stuck in Hackensack, doing something just as important.
“All right, Frank, is there anything else I can do for you?”
Frank took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “No, that’s everything. I guess I’d better get back out there before the natives get restless.”
“Yeah, I don’t like a crowd outside my office.”
“They’ll be glad to hear you aren’t forcing the soldiers to leave while we’re getting raided again. Maybe while Joe is on his mission, he’ll hear something about what’s going on with the ’vaders down there.”
“Hopefully.”
She patted him on his back as he walked out her door, leaving her alone in the office. She spared a couple of seconds to watch as he approached the crowd and began to talk to them, and could see from their body language that the tension was draining from them.
Satisfied they weren’t going to lynch him—or her, for that matter—she went back to her desk and looked forlornly at the stack of paperwork she had to get through by day’s end. Tomorrow, there’d be an entirely new stack—she could mostly thank Ethan and Michael for the reinvention of paperwork.
As she hunched over her desk to whip up a reply to a Lititz request for nails and bolts, she heard the crowd outside dispersing. Before diving into her work, she said a little prayer for Joe’s safety. It would be a dangerous journey to Philly, and he would need it.
- 8 -
1600 HOURS - ZERO DAY +617
NATE STOOD IN the truck bed, elbows on the roof. All around him, the neighborhood was a bustle of activity. His fighters were still going door to door, rounding up the last of the ’vaders in that area, but almost everything on that street had been cleared. For the moment, the risk from snipers was minimal and he took the time to enjoy the rarity of relative peace and quiet. He even managed to slouch, looking oh-so-relaxed. Even when things had looked grim in earlier battles, he always made it a point for his troops to see him looking confident. It was a morale booster.
Half a block away, in the parking lot of what used to be a big-box store, whatever enemy survivors had surrendered were being rounded up. Of course his own people wanted to kill them, but Nate had given orders to spare the ones who surrendered. He had to think about the long game, not just what would feel good right now. If he wanted to negotiate favorable terms with the Maryland invaders later, he had to give a little to get a little.
As far as he was concerned, such forward thinking was the reason he was in charge. It had made him the most successful resistance commander, by far. Over the last few months, since his troops had begun the offensive in earnest, all the other resistance leaders had fallen in line to join him, one by one. Everyone wanted to be on the winning team. Hell, just before this latest offensive, the other commanders had sworn their personal allegiance to him.
All was going according to plan, and it was a glorious sight.
Standing next to the truck and leaning against the bed, his “associate” Robert, bodyguard and lead enforcer, looked as bored as Nate felt. Robert said, “You aren’t really going to spare all those ‘vader prisoners, are you? I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to get a piece of them. A little bit of payback for what they done to my family. A lot of people’s families.”
Nate ignored him. He’d already taken the time to explain to Robert what his plans were, more than once. Robert was smart, in a cunning sort of way, but he lacked forethought. It made him a great bodyguard and a poor strategist.
When Nate didn’t answer, Robert spat on the ground and walked away. Nate watched him as he left toward the supply train. Maybe the big lug needed something to eat. He always seemed hungry. How Robert could eat at a time like this, Nate didn’t know. His own stomach was in turmoil, and he wouldn’t have kept anything down even if he tried.
A soldier ran toward him, stopping ten feet away, and almost saluted. At his raised eyebrow, the soldier stopped himself. He had a rule: no saluting out in the open, because it made him a tempting target for any nearby snipers. “Don’t be shy, son,” Nate said, putting on a warm smile. “What do you have for me?”
The soldier, a young man of perhaps nineteen, nodded and replied, “Sir, we have the neighborhood ninety-five percent contained. Estimates are about twenty prisoners so far, and we expect no more than five or six more if they keep to their average so far. I was told to let you know there is a bit of a mob gathering outside of the POW area.”
Nate frowned. No one had better even think about disobeying his orders, or he would have them strung up. And that was no euphemism. “Let the ranking officer on site know that I’m on my way. I’ll handle it myself, since he seems incapable.”
As the rebel ran off toward the POW area, Nate turned toward another nearby soldier and said, “Go find Robert. Tell him I need him right away, and to meet me at the POW area.”
When she nodded and ran off, Nate vaulted out of the truck bed, landing nimbly on his feet, and then briskly walked toward the prisoner area. Damn it all, this wasn’t what he wanted to be doing right now. He was tired, just like the ot
hers, and rank should have its privileges. Instead, it had only more responsibilities. He hoped that would change once peace came again.
Well, someone had to be in charge, and he had turned out to be the best choice. The proof was in the pudding, as the saying went, and Philly was almost free now because of his leadership. It was the only reason the other commanders had fallen into step behind him.
* * *
1700 HOURS - ZERO DAY +620
Nate sat in the parlor, a tumbler of whiskey in hand. For this meeting, he wore his old Neighborhood Watch commander’s uniform—khaki pants and a black polo shirt embroidered with the neighborhood watch logo on one breast and the word ‘Commander’ on the other.
He wore it with pride. Although it had been only a minor honor before the war, in the nearly two years since then, he had used his role to save the people in his neighborhood. Unlike the ones surrounding his, only half of the people under his command had died during that first terrible winter, at the start of the Dying Times.
Across from him, sitting in the recliner, was an envoy from the Maryland-based invaders. Nate guessed the man had been chosen because of his skill in English and his demeanor, which was far less abrasive than most of the gooks. He appreciated the man’s ready smile, but he would never make the mistake of trusting it. The envoy’s eyes reminded him of the cold, unyielding stare of a pit viper.
“Commander,” the gook said, “thank you for receiving me. It’s important that we maintain an open line of communication, despite our differences these past couple of years.”
Differences. Ha. That was one way to put it. Another way might be ‘crushing, grueling oppression.’ Nate merely nodded, saying nothing.
The envoy, whose name was Jwa, continued, “Allow me to ask you a question. We struggled continually with the gangsters throughout the city. Our spies found that you had no such problems in your territory, and as your occupied territory grew, you alleviated those problems in the newly controlled areas, as well. What’s your secret?”
It was a harmless question, Nate thought, so he could see no harm in answering it. “Early on, we captured a high-ranking gang member—offered him enough food to survive the winter if he would join up and help us deal with our gang problems. He brought as many of his gang members as he could convince to join us. A few were hanged, and the rest fell in line.”
Jwa nodded, and Nate almost shivered at the sensation of being set up for a lethal strike. “Did you not have people starving over that first winter?”
There it was. He was fishing for information, hoping to learn the secrets of how he had done so well when others had struggled and died. “Yes, we lost a lot of people. And keeping that one gangbanger and a handful of his gang alive meant that several of my own people starved to death over the winter.”
“A tough choice. I wonder how your people would feel about that now, if they knew.”
Nate eyed Jwa warily. “I’ve been open about it, even at the time. The question really should be about how many of my people were spared from gang raids and having their food stolen, because of my decision. I was the Watch commander, and it was my job to keep my neighborhood safe. Sometimes, the greater good requires an exercise of will to make decisions that others aren’t strong enough to make for themselves.”
“Interesting.”
“I’ve seen plenty of my people starve—people that would still be alive today if we had killed the gangbanger. I carry that burden, but that’s the burden of leadership.”
Jwa nodded vigorously. “Yes. This is something I can understand. I, too, have sentenced a soldier to die in a hopeless mission in order to save the others. It requires a great leader to make hard choices. The ignorant people they lead would never have made that choice for themselves, and more would be dead because of it. When the People align their will to their leader’s, that’s when great things are truly accomplished—as you have discovered. My respect for you grows. Now you see the strength and promise of the Korean way.”
Nate couldn’t be sure, but he thought Jwa’s words had the ring of truth to them, but he was still the enemy. Nate changed the subject when it came to the Korean superiority, though—they had lost, after all. “As the leader of these people, it’s my will that the remaining invader forces leave Philadelphia. I’ll agree to a cease fire period of one week. If you’re still here, we’ll renew our offensive. I would much rather you and I come to an understanding, but if your leaders insist on being the immovable object, then I must be the unstoppable force.”
Jwa then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees so he could gaze at Nate more directly. He said, “Your spies have surely discovered by now that we’re gathering much of our army in Maryland’s northern area. Most of this force gathers a mere day or two away from here. While I admire your strength and courage, I ask you this: What is to prevent us from simply rolling over Philadelphia once again? It would be easy to take over what we have lost here, using only the force we’ve already assembled.”
Nate’s lip curled up into a half-smile and he chuckled. “Yes, I’ve heard those reports. I also know that half of them are Americans. You’re rebuilding your army the old tribal way, by pressing those you’ve conquered into military service. But how hard do you think they’ll fight against their fellow Americans? Especially when their brothers fight harder than they do. We protect our homes, while they fight to ease their burden.”
“That may be true, yet the result would be the same. You would not be able to resist such a force.”
Slowly, Nate nodded. Jwa was right, but that wasn’t the entire story. “Winning a battle isn’t the same thing as winning the war. Yes, you might very well be able to retake this city, but that would change nothing. The result would be the same. The only difference would be the number of people who must die before we take back our freedom.”
Jwa shrugged. He said, “There’s a simple alternative, of course. We could simply kill everyone who resists, even if that meant depopulating the city. Total warfare and the complete slaughter of your followers remains a solution we could choose.”
“Be that as it may,” Nate replied, “my people would find their freedom in the end. Whether we are freed in victory or in death, your choice is only in how many of your own people you lose before we find one freedom or the other. We’ll take a lot of you with us, and then what? A useless, dead city and a weakened army is all you’ll have.”
Jwa glanced away and stared into space, letting out a long, deep breath. His frustration was written on his face. It was the first spontaneous emotion Nate had seen from the envoy, but he tried not to show his pleasure at rattling that calm, confident demeanor.
At last, Jwa said, “After reading the dossier and psych profiles our intelligence agents have built up on you, I believe you. To be honest, I was sent in mostly to see whether the analysis was wrong. I don’t think it is.”
“What did it say?”
“You’re cold and calculating, well-loved by your people, and your results show you’re a capable insurrection leader. I think you have the will and determination to do exactly as you have suggested, grinding your own people into dirt, preferring death to surrender. As a North Korean soldier, I am well-indoctrinated into our own Great Leader’s similar struggle during what you call the Korean War. I know how powerful the will to win or die truly can be.”
Nate was a little surprised they had a dossier on him, or even knew who he was. How they had built a psychological profile on him, he couldn’t even guess, but he knew nothing about the field.
He said, “Where does that leave us? I suspect that mighty army you’re gathering isn’t intended for us. If it was, you would have already rolled over us. No… I think you’re gathering that army for some other reason. I also don’t think your new army is quite as strong as you pretend.”
Jwa was unreadable. “Whether or not that’s true, if we allowed you to remain alive and free, it certainly concerns us to have your hostile force gathered so close to our own territo
ry. I would hate to see your people get in the way of our other goals in this region.”
Nate laughed. “My word of honor is meaningless to you, so I’ll put it to you in a different way. I’m going to spend at least the next two years rebuilding my own little group of survivors here in Philadelphia. We have more to do than time to do it in. I don’t think it’s in our best interest to interfere with whatever else you’ve got going on, so long as it’s going on somewhere else. You know what I’m saying?”
Jwa nodded. “I do. You’re saying that we must come to some sort of agreement, or you’ll continue to be a thorn in our side. Eventually, we would have to deal with you. If I’m right about the kind of person you are, you’d rather keep fighting than agree to unfavorable terms. You’ve chosen an all-or-nothing path, for you and for your followers.”
“That’s exactly right, my man. I want peace, and I’m tired of fighting. But I’m not so tired that I’ll agree to a bad deal. I’d rather just keep fighting. If you want to avoid that, we can work out the details later.”
Elbows still on his knees, Jwa steepled his fingers in front of his face and gazed intently at Nate. “Very well. I will recommend to my superiors that we accept your terms, at least regarding a division of territories. I have no wish to kill everyone in the city, because it would hinder our other efforts as you have so wisely guessed.”
Nate suppressed a grin. Victory was almost at hand. He could practically taste it. “What’s the catch?”
Jwa shrugged and said, “If my superiors end up agreeing to your terms, as I will recommend, then your victory will come at a cost. It won’t be a clean break. I sincerely hope we can eventually work out a cost we both can live with.”
Nate stood and said, “Very well. If your leaders take your suggestion, we’ll leave the rest for other people to negotiate. But keep in mind, if I don’t like the treaty you end up proposing, we’ll keep fighting. Remember, this is an all-or-nothing deal.”
