by Robert Boren
“Okay, it’s up to you,” Hendrix said. “I’ll support you, whatever you want to do.”
“She’s going back to the facility,” Maria said. “Don’t care if she likes it or not. That’s the only logical choice.”
Hendrix nodded, and then the monitor beeped again.
Maria pushed the button to open the vault, and slipped out into the dusty hallway, then took the elevator to ground floor level.
One of the guards was waiting outside for her. “We need to do this quickly. Still could be snipers around.”
“Okay,” Maria said. They rushed out, the guard opening the front passenger side door. Maria slipped inside and the guard closed it back up, then stood and scanned the fence in all directions.
“Hey, sis, getting any?” Celia asked, eyes crazed. “I knew you were in there.”
“Why did you leave the facility?” Maria asked, trying to sound calm.
“They were trying to put me on the same meds they used before. They wouldn’t listen. Then one of the guards messed with me, and I sent him to the hospital.” She started to relate the story, but Maria put her hands up.
“Stop,” Maria said. “I really don’t care.”
“Then why are you out here?” Celia asked, getting her face closer to the metal screen behind the front seat.
“I wanted a chance to reason with you.”
“We can do that inside,” she said.
“You’re not going inside,” Maria said. “No way, no how.”
“What?” she asked, slamming the metal screen with both fists. “Why not? What kind of lies did mom tell you this time?”
“She said you screwed her boyfriend again,” Maria said. “Not that I care about that, either. You’re sick, Celia. You need help. I can’t handle that right now. You’re going back to the center.”
“No!!!” she cried. “You can’t send me back there.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Maria said. “Get better. Really better. Then we can change your situation. Until then, you’ll stay at the center. End of discussion.”
“End of discussion,” she mocked. “You’re not my mom.”
“No, you alienated her but good,” Maria said. “I’m just about done with both of you. Not sure who’s got the larger problem, but I’m not allowing either of you into my world. Hell, I couldn’t if I wanted too. The Governor wouldn’t allow my husband to be put in that kind of danger, and he’s the person who decides who can come into these bunkers.”
“Oh, the Governor, huh? Had a piece of him yet? He’s hot.”
“Dammit, Celia,” Maria said, “Knock it off.”
“I was just joking,” she said, attempting to look calm. “You’re just afraid I’ll take your man away from you, and I wouldn’t even try. And by the way, mom’s a liar. She got drunk and brought me into their bed. Her boyfriend talked her into it.”
“No she didn’t,” Maria said. “I know how you operate when you’re off your meds, so cut the crap.”
Celia was silent for a moment, watching Maria like a caged tiger.
“Look, Celia, you need to calm down. You can’t keep living like this. It’s dangerous to you and everybody around you.”
“Why are you even talking to me if you’ve already decided I’m going back to that hell hole?”
“I want to make you understand something,” Maria said softly.
“Please enlighten me,” Celia spat.
“You’ll do better if you listen to me,” Maria said. “I’ll be in your corner if you show progress. I’ll be your advocate.”
Celia laughed. “That’s rich. When have you ever been my advocate?”
Maria sighed. “The last time you were let out of the hospital. Remember?”
Celia chuckled. “Oh, yeah, you were a big help. Always saying I was doing this or that.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Maria said. “I’m about done. Let the doctors work with you. Get better. Please. I do still love you. I want you back, but you have to be well. Please try to understand.”
Celia leaned back, eyes brimming with tears. “Get out of here. Just go.”
Maria looked at her, fighting her emotions. The guard rapped on the window. She left the car.
“Sorry, but we need to get you back inside,” the guard said.
“Take her to the center. I’ll call ahead and let them know she’s coming.”
“The one by the Capitol, right?”
“Yes,” Maria said.
“Okay, we’ll get her there. Don’t you worry.”
“Thank you,” Maria said. She rushed back into the elevator and rode it down, breaking into sobs on the way, then rushing into the vault and closing the door behind her.
“You okay?” Hendrix asked.
“Can you hold me for a minute?”
He took her into his arms as she cried against his shoulder.
Chapter 4 – Gas Attack
“Hey,” Carrie said as Jason, Kyle, and Eric walked into the clubhouse, crowded with people watching TV. “How’d it go at the other RV parks?”
“The one that got hit first is toast,” Jason said. “Nobody in the office survived, and more than half of the coaches were destroyed. It’s a real mess. Police and Fire department are there. The one next door didn’t get hit as badly. They’re still operating. Only lost two park model trailers and the pool equipment building. Nobody got killed.”
“How did nobody get killed?” Kate asked.
“They saw the first attack and ran into the vacant land behind the park, like we did,” Kyle said.
“They upset with us?” Kim asked.
“No, they know what’s going on,” Jason said. “The owners next door are hopping mad at the enemy, not us. They’re still willing to help, and they’ve got all that extra space in the back. Our next group should get here any time now.”
“Hey, check this out,” Eric said, sitting by the TV set. “Just turned on CNN. Something bad must have happened in Denver. Look at all the bodies.”
“Oh no,” Kim said, rushing to his side. The others joined. The news person came on.
“For those of you just tuning in, the western suburbs of Denver were hit with nerve gas about one hour ago. It was delivered by artillery. No official word on casualties yet, but it will be significant. The army is working closely with local authorities to root out the enemy forces who took part in the attack.”
“Nerve gas?” Carrie asked. “How far is Denver from here?”
“Six or seven hours,” Jason said. “Not an easy drive, either.”
“This is why Governor Nelson wants us to take out the depot in Santa Fe,” Eric said.
“They might use it on us when we attack,” Carrie said. “It might convince the others to stay away.”
“I doubt it,” Eric said. “Usually these kinds of tactics get people pissed off.”
“Oh, no, look,” Kate said, tears running down her cheeks.
“This is video of a middle school in the area of the gas attack. There was no warning. No time to get people out. Normally we would see parents lined up along the perimeter, waiting to hear about their children. In this case, most of the parents were also victims.”
“Oh, God no,” Kim said.
There was commotion by the door.
“We’re here,” Jax said, walking in with several more people. He froze when he saw the dead kids on the TV. “What the hell happened?”
“The enemy used nerve gas in Denver,” Jason said.
“No,” Jax said. “Those sick bastards. We’re gonna splatter their asses all over Santa Fe.”
Carrie made eye contact with him and then nodded at Chelsea, busy with a coloring book on one of the tables, oblivious to the horror on the screen.
“Oh, sorry,” Jax said. “Didn’t see her.”
“How many came with you guys?” Jason asked.
“You’ll see a steady stream of about two hundred per hour,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t be dense enough to draw attention. There was other traff
ic on the road in both directions.”
“You know what happened here, right?” Kyle asked.
“Oh, crap, what else?”
“Two B-1 bombers attacked,” Kim said.
“I don’t see any damage,” Jax said.
“The big RV park up the road about a mile was destroyed. The one next door got hit, but not badly. They’re still welcoming us over.”
“Good, then maybe I should go over there and get set up,” Jax said.
“Good idea,” Jason said. “There’s still plenty of room over here, too, but might as well have both sites ready to take people.”
“What happened to those bombers?” Jax asked.
“Eric here shot one down with a stinger missile,” Jason said. “The other one was shot down by an F-22. There are two F-22s patrolling the area, so we shouldn’t get hit again.”
“Okay, I’ll get going. It’s just a little further west on I-40, right?”
“Yeah,” Jason said. “It’s walking distance. I’ll call the owner and say you’re on the way.”
“Much obliged,” Jax said. He walked out of the clubhouse, the others following.
“Looks like you were right, Eric,” Kyle said. “This nerve gas thing pissed him off good.”
Jason nodded, and then his phone rang. He looked at it. “Jake, from the rodeo.” He put it on speaker and set it down on the table he was sitting at.
“Hey, Jake,” Jason said. “Jax and the first group just got here.”
“Good,” Jake said. “Things are going like clockwork here. You see the news?”
“Denver? Yeah.”
“This is a big mistake on their part,” Jake said. “People here are pissed, and now some of their friends are showing up to help. We’ll have more people than I expected. Gonna have room?”
“We’ll make room somehow, but heads up. We got hit by two B-1 bombers. They didn’t strike this park, but they destroyed the one furthest to the west, and did some damage to the one next door.”
“Shit,” Jake said. “You still in danger?”
“No, we got friendly F-22s circling above us.”
“Raptors? Aren’t those US Airforce too?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, there was a battle going on inside the Airforce. Six B-1s escaped. You hear about the bombing in San Antonio?”
“No,” Jake said. “Wonder why?”
“Maybe Nelson is trying to suppress the news,” Eric said.
“Could be,” Jason said.
“How bad did San Antonio get hit?” Jake asked.
“From what we heard, they only hit the camp outside of town where most of the National Guard troops were. Half of them were still there, but we haven’t heard how many actually got killed.”
“There were six bombers, and we only know of two that were shot down, so we need to watch out,” Eric said. “Maybe we ought to contact the leadership team and find out if they’ve heard anything.”
“How long can the bombers stay in the air?” Kate asked.
“That’s a damn good question,” Jake said. “How long ago did they hit you guys?”
“About three hours ago,” Jason said. “Those are long-range bombers. I suspect we aren’t out of the woods yet.”
“Hope the good guys in the US Airforce have a handle on their refueling tankers,” Eric said.
“Seriously,” Kyle said.
Carrie was looking at her phone, moving her fingers around on the screen. “The range is just under six thousand miles,” she said. “Not sure what that equates to in hours.”
“That’s assuming they were full of fuel when they were taken,” Kyle said.
“True,” Jason said. “One other thing to remember. There are F-22s out hunting them. These bombers aren’t stealth aircraft.”
“They’re not that easy to track, though,” Carrie said. “Says here that they have 1/50 the radar profile of a B-52.”
“Raptors have very advanced radar,” Eric said. “We probably should be more worried about ground attacks and what happened in Denver, at this point.”
Kelly, Brenda, Junior, and Rachel walked in with Cindy and Dirk.
“Did you hear what happened in Denver?” Kelly asked.
“Just saw it on TV,” Jason said. “Sick.”
“We’re gonna pound them for that,” Junior said, face red. “Just pound them.”
Rachel put her arm around his waist. “Don’t get too worked up, honey. Save it for the battle.”
He nodded to her, eyes brimming with tears.
“Was that the first rodeo group we just saw?” Cindy asked.
“Yep, and they’re gonna trickle in from now on,” Jason said. “We sent Jax to the park next door with the first group.”
“There’s still room here,” Kelly said.
“Yeah, we know,” Jason said. “Just wanted to prepare that space. We’ll take lots of people at both locations.”
“Where’s Brushy?” Dirk asked.
“He went over to the furthest RV Park, to see if he can help,” Pat said as she walked over.
“Oh,” Kelly said. “Doesn’t sound like you guys have heard from Nelson again.”
“I’m gonna call Ramsey pretty soon,” Jason said. “We’re wondering how much longer we need to worry about B-1 bombers.”
“It’s been a while,” Junior said. “We’ve probably seen the last of them, unless they have a place to touch down and refuel.”
“Yeah, just talking about that,” Kyle said. “That’s not the only thing we need to ask about.”
“You’re right,” Kate said. “We need to know if there’s been movement across the New Mexico border.”
“Yep,” Kyle said. “Might want to give a shout out.”
“Yeah, it’d help to know where the other folks are, too,” Junior said. “The group from Dallas.”
“Seriously,” Kelly said. “What are we waiting for?”
“I just talked to them, after the bombing,” Jason said. “Those guys are busy. We’re only one of many operations they’re running.”
Curt and Amanda walked in.
“Got the still working,” Amanda announced, stopping in her tracks when she saw people’s expressions. “Something bad happened.”
“You guys haven’t been listening to the news?” Kyle asked.
“No, we were starting up the still inside the toy-hauler,” Curt said. “With Don and Sydney.”
“Where are they?” Kim asked.
“They went back to their rig to clean up,” Amanda said. “What the hell is going on?”
“The enemy used nerve gas in Denver,” Kate said.
“What?” Curt shouted, face red. “How many people did they kill?”
“Lots, including a bunch of kids in a school,” Kyle said. “I don’t want to go through it again. Watch the TV. It’s all they’re talking about now.”
Curt looked at Amanda, both of them tearing up. He nodded at Kyle, and they found seats near the TV.
“The enemy made a huge mistake,” Junior said. “Now they’re gonna pay.”
“It’s not like the gloves weren’t already off,” Kelly said.
“With those who were already fighting, yeah,” Junior said. “This will get a lot of people off the dime. The enemy could use that stuff anywhere.”
“We’d better keep track of which way the wind blows in this area,” Kyle said.
Chapter 5 – Jay and Hector
“Okay, that looks good,” Juan Carlos said. “You’re pointing right down the road.”
Richardson got out of the truck cab and joined the others on the front porch.
“Looks like we’re ready to go,” Roberto said. “Hey, Gerald, where the hell are Jay and his buddies?”
“Don’t know,” Gerald said. “I’ll send them a text.”
“Do that,” Roberto said.
“You want me to stay up here, right?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Yeah, and be ready with the guns,” Richardson said.
“You want me up
there too?” Brendan asked.
“No, you keep that M60 handy. Madison, if you want something to do, you could go up there. They showed you how to fire the weapons, right?”
“Yes, I was just gonna suggest that,” Madison said, getting up. “I barely need these crutches now.”
“Keep using them, though,” Lita said. “The doctor said two weeks. It’s only been half that.”
“Seems like a lot longer ago,” Hannah said. “Our trailers seem like ages ago.”
“Yeah, funny how that works,” Madison said as she headed to the boat.
“I’ll help her,” Brendan said, getting up. Hannah followed him over.
“Step on the fender, sweetie,” Juan Carlos said, getting up next to the side. She put her good foot on it, and he grabbed her under the arms and lifted her in.
“Guess you guys didn’t need any help,” Brendan said. “Nicely done.”
“She’s light, dude,” Juan Carlos said.
“Thanks for that,” Madison said.
“Enjoy it while you can,” Brendan said with a wicked grin.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hannah asked. “You think she’s gonna get fat now that she’s married?”
Juan Carlos snickered. “Temporarily, but over and over.”
Madison shook her head. “Men. I know, you want me barefoot and pregnant.”
“Well, pregnant, anyway,” Juan Carlos said. “You don’t do so well with barefoot.”
Hannah burst out laughing.
“Don’t encourage him,” Madison said, trying to hold back her smile.
“Look, dude, she likes the idea,” Juan Carlos said. “Good.”
Madison punched him playfully in the arm. “Don’t be in too much of a rush.”
“We can practice, though,” Juan Carlos said. “Hannah will probably get knocked up before you do, anyway.”
“Hey,” Brendan said.
“What are you guys joking about?” Gerald asked from the porch steps. “Sounds a little racy.”
“They’re newlyweds,” Richardson said.
“So are you, remember,” Lita said.
“What, did you guys all get married at the same time or something?”
“Yep,” Lita said.
Gerald shook his head. “What is this, World War II?”
