“I’m in too,” Gabby states.
Adrian sighs and my father leans back in his chair. Part of him was hoping we would say no.
Chapter 53: Gabby
“Of course, I’m coming,” Jeremy says when I ask him to join our team.
The General made me a commissioned officer so that I can lead this mission. Dawn wants to help, but she doesn’t want to be in charge. We were also told we can decide who goes with us because we need to be able to trust them completely. There are very few people who fit the bill. Jeremy is one of those people. He has an excellent shot that will come in handy and, after everything we’ve been through together, I trust him completely.
A part of me doesn’t want to ask the people that I care about. I want them all to stay here, safe. If I had a say, Dawn wouldn’t be coming, but that isn’t up to me.
“Thanks, Jeremy,” I say. “There’s one more thing, though.”
“Yeah?” he asks.
“Are we good? Because I need people that have my back and I don’t think you’ve forgiven me yet.”
“It’s not the forgiving that’s hard, Gabby. I did that a while ago. It’s the forgetting that’s a bitch,” he pauses. “With that said, I will always have your back.”
I nod and shake off the tears. We may not all come back from this and I can’t imagine life without any of them.
“I wish I didn’t have to ask you this,” I admit.
“I would have come anyway,” he says.
I place a hand on his shoulder before leaving to ask another one of my friends to risk their life. If we screw this up, it’s a one way mission for all of us.
I bump into Raf outside the barracks, which is good because I would have gone looking for him next. We haven’t talked much since I learned he followed us from St. Louis. He didn’t think the events at the base were his problem, so he evacuated with the techs. I’ve been avoiding him ever since.
“We’re going to Mexico and you’re coming with us,” I say.
“Of course,” he responds. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for. The Carlita cartel wants in on this.”
“Fine,” I respond, walking past him quickly.
I go off to find Shay, leaving Lee for last. There is no question in my mind what he will say. He’s going to say yes to risking his life for me, yet again.
Chapter 54: Dawn
Things are moving quickly because we don’t have much time to get this done. The weapon needs to be destroyed before England’s relocation efforts are in full swing. The General isn’t saying it, but we’re talking months, not years.
There are people sitting around this room who won’t be here when this is finished. My father has made that pretty clear to everyone. Yet, here they are, ready to go.
I grip Drew’s hand tightly. When I told him about the mission, he was in before I even finished asking. Then I told him about the dangers and he just said that he’s going if I am. I crawled into his bunk last night and he just held me. In a perfect world, he would hold me every night. I don’t know what this world is, but it is far from perfect, and I can barely imagine what normal is.
At the last minute, Gabby asked me to talk to Lee. She just couldn’t do it. As he listened to me explain the risks, he was the same stoic guy that I met in the caves. He doesn’t care about the risks. He said he wants to be there to keep me and Gabby safe. Gabby would get narked if she knew that Lee thinks he needs to protect her, but it comforts me.
No one says a word until my father walks in with Adrian and Officer Lincoln behind him.
“Has what we are asking you to do been explained to all of you?” the General asks.
I nod along with everyone else.
“Gabby, Dawn, Lee, Jeremy, Drew, Shay, and Rafael,” he says the names for Adrian to write down. “I’m sending Officer Lincoln with you as well.”
Gabby is about to object, but my father stops her.
“He is not going to out rank you, Gabby,” he says. “You will be leading this mission, but Linc has some skills that will come in handy down there.”
He pulls out a map and rolls it open on the table in front of us. He then nods to Adrian and steps back.
“The border isn’t far from here,” Adrian begins. “The fighting is at a standstill with the Texan forces on our side and the Mexican forces on the other. That part of the border is occupied by troops from the Cillo cartel. The good news is that we currently have a treaty with them. That’s why the fighting has stopped.”
“I have some contacts with them,” Lee offers. “I helped negotiate the treaty after the Rebels conquered Texas.”
“Good,” Adrian says. “You will need those contacts. As friendly as we act toward one another, they will still be reluctant to let you behind their battle lines to travel through their territory. I will send a letter signed by both General Nolan and myself with you. They still don’t trust us, but it may just be enough. Whatever you do, do not tell them the real reason you are there. We do not want them marching on the Morenos or you all will be caught in the middle of a war between two powerful cartels. Once you reach the southern border of Cillo land, Rafael will guide you from there.”
“How are we getting to the border?” Gabby asks.
“Like I said, it’s not far,” Adrian answers. “We have a supply run to our troops tomorrow. You will go then.”
“Each of you needs to head to the armory today,” my father says. “Weapon up! You will use them. As for other supplies, we don’t know how long you’ll be gone, so we will make our best judgments about how much to send with you. This is it, people. Everything the Rebels have accomplished will mean nothing if you fail.”
His hands are shaking as he speaks, and he deliberately looks away from me as he leaves the room. I hurry after him.
“Dad!” I yell after him, struggling with the term.
He stops in the middle of the hallway and turns around.
“Dawn, I …” he stammers, unable to finish his sentence.
The great and powerful General Nolan would never show his emotions. He would be cold and cut off. The General is not the man standing in front of me now. For the first time that I can remember, I am looking at my father; a father who has no choice but to send his daughters into danger, a father who believes that there is a good chance one or both of his kids won’t be returning, a father who is scared.
“We’re going to get this done,” I say.
“I know you are,” he responds.
“And we’re coming back,” I state matter-of-factly.
He smiles at that. We both know that there are no sure things, but it feels good to say it.
“I have something for you,” he says, reaching out and handing me a folded letter.
I look at it, confused.
“Read this when you leave on your mission,” he says.
“Okay,” I say with a nod and there’s a long, uncomfortable pause.
“Well, I should head to the armory,” I say, pointing behind me.
When I turn and start to leave, I barely take two steps before my father calls to me.
“Dawn?” he says tentatively.
“Yeah?” I respond, not turning to face him.
“I love you,” he answers, his voice breaking.
I smile, still facing away from him. I start walking again, and the words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them,
“Love you too, Dad.”
Chapter 55: Gabby
“We need to be armed at all times, but we can’t go marching into Mexico like some damned army,” I tell the group as we head into the armory. “We have to operate under the assumption that no one in Mexico is our friend, not even our supposed allies. No one will trust us, so let’s return the disfavor. We will receive help from certain cartels, but they will want us off their land as quickly as possible.”
No one argues with anything I’m saying. That’s a first.
My father put me in charge, because he knows I’m more likely to run toward a burning
building than away from it. He also trusts that I don’t have a problem doing some of the things we might need to. How like him I have become.
“Lee, I need you to go to the kitchen to see about some provisions. Drew, go with him. Jeremy, you and Shay head for the clinic, I want basic medical supplies. Dawn, find Adrian for some other supplies; flashlights, matches, whatever you think we’ll need,” I say. “Also, get him to finish that letter he’s writing to help us at the border. Linc, Raf pull the maps. By the time we leave, I want to know every inch of the landscape across the border.”
They all look at me, a bit amazed, and scatter when I snap, “Well, what are you waiting for?”
I take a holster and wrap it around my waist, sliding two hand guns into it before strapping on a sheathed blade. I’m ready.
Chapter 56: Dawn
Goodbyes are hard.
We try our best not to drag them out. I step in front of my father and look into his face. The tears that have been building up let loose when I see his glassy eyes. He wraps me in a strong hug like he never has before. For the minute or so that he holds me, I feel safe. I feel like he can make everything okay, because, well, he’s my dad.
Gabby refuses to say goodbye to anyone, because she says we’ll see them again as if that’s a sure thing.
Drew helps me into the truck where we sit on top of the food crates that are being sent to the soldiers at the border. We shut the door and can no longer see the people we are leaving behind. Leaning back against the wall, I wipe the last remnants of tears from my eyes.
No one speaks. There’s nothing to say.
Ryan once told me, “You can’t be brave until you are first afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear but the will to overcome it.”
It was something his father, Chief Smith, used to say that to him when he was a child in Cincinnati. Something like that sticks with you. We start moving and I pull a flashlight out of my pack and unfold my father’s letter.
Dear Gabby and Dawn,
By the time you read this, you will be well on your way to Mexico.
I’m so proud of you and know you’ll do your very best. Never forget that you’re on a mission to save our people. I’d like to say “stay safe,” but I gave up the delusion of safety years ago. None of us are safe. The world is not a safe place, our people saw to that centuries ago when they let loose a series of changes that destroyed the global order and forever altered the landscape.
England is dying and its people need a new home. Your mission is an essential part of a larger plan to provide such a home for our people.
I can’t begin to undo the pain and suffering my absence caused you for all these years, and I know that knowing that your mother and I tried to leave you in good hands doesn’t change things. If there is any trust left, any love left, please believe that we did it for you. We did it to save you and to save our people.
As you begin your mission, you will no doubt suffer many risks. But, I know you will succeed. I’ve known it ever since I first discovered that you were in Floridaland. Both of you possess a strong will and believe in sacrificing your own safety for the cause, just like your mother. Yes, I know that this will sound strange and unbelievable, but she missed you every day of her life. That separation and the strain of the Rebellion, was too much for her. It broke her, and when she saw you again here in this land, the pain and guilt was too overwhelming. But she loved you, as do I.
I can’t begin to explain all the circumstances that sent me to Floridaland. I hated the assignment, but it was the perfect cover under which to execute our greater plan – preparing for the migration of our people.
This is a broken land, as you know. “The States,” as they used to call them, have suffered their own calamities. Hundreds of millions have died in the chaos that both nature and evil created over the past several hundred years, things I’m sure they never taught you in school.
But now, you, my daughters, have the opportunity to change the course of our history. You and our allies in Mexico and the Wastelands have the chance to shape the future.
What has kept me sane and focused through all that has happened, is the knowledge that you two were alive. Everything I have done, I have done for your future. I am so proud of the women you have become, and I know our people can depend on more than just one Nolan from here on out.
Until we meet again, love always,
Dad
I turn off the flashlight as tears streak down my face, and I hug the letter to my chest. After a while, I nudge Gabby next to me and hand her the letter filled with my father’s words.
“Read this,” I whisper.
Chapter 57: Dawn
Adrian said the border isn’t far, but, let’s just say, the ride isn’t easy or short. We feel every bump and rut in the unpaved road. After a while, we pull up to a Texan checkpoint and hear voices.
“Let me just check the back,” someone says.
I tense up.
“It’s okay, Dawn. We’re legit this time, remember?” Drew whispers to me.
I relax. He’s right. The back door opens and the light is blinding. I shield my eyes to try to see the soldier standing there. Texan soldiers still make me uneasy. They chased us all over the Texan lands and then killed Corey’s parents for helping us. They made Matty join them to come after us. He’s the only one that survived that mission. Their blind obedience reminds me of Jonathan’s men and we all know how that turned out.
“What are y’all doin’ back here?” the soldier asks us, smiling.
It isn’t an accusation. Gabby hands him our credentials from Adrian and he grins again. “Y’all are goin’ to the border?” he asks, and Gabby nods. “I would kill for some of that action. Most of us ‘round here are bored as hell.”
“Can we get moving?” Gabby snaps, never one for politeness.
“You don’t sound like no Texan,” the soldier says as he leans in and looks around at all of us.
“And you don’t sound like someone who wants to be arrested for insubordination,” Gabby snaps again.
At that, he closes the door quickly and the truck lurches forward. We pass through the next checkpoint without a problem, and a few hours later we come to a stop. I climb down from the back of the truck, and, when my eyes adjust to the sunlight, I see that we are standing in the middle of a sea of Texan soldiers.
“Lee,” a small man in uniform says as he rushes up to us.
“Travis,” Lee says as he extends his hand and Travis takes it.
“What are you doing back around here?” Travis asks.
Lee pulls him aside for some privacy before quietly telling him, “we’re heading toward Mexico.”
“Why the hell would you want to do that!?” Travis asks incredulously. “I thought working on that treaty with those bastards would be enough of Mexico for you.”
“I can’t say any more,” Lee replies.
“I get it, man,” Travis says, stepping back. “You’re all big and important now, on some secret mission.”
Lee laughs and claps his friend on the back before motioning Gabby forward.
“Travis, this is Captain Nolan,” he says. “She needs to see Briggs.”
Travis eyes her up and down before taking her hand and kissing it. I have to hold back a giggle. This guy is even shorter than Gabby and he’s just been told that she’s an officer which is something I still can’t get used to. Maybe it’s our lack of uniforms that keeps him from taking us seriously. Gabby pulls her hand away abruptly.
“Travis!” Lee snaps.
“Alright, alright,” he responds. “Follow me. I’ll take you to see the damn Colonel.”
The Colonel is a tall, thin man and he’s in the middle of a card game when Travis brings us to him.
“What is it Travis?” he says irritably, not stopping his game.
“I have a Captain Nolan to see you, sir,” Travis informs him.
“Captain Nolan,” the colonel muses as he lays down another card. “Any relation to Ge
neral Nolan, leader of those damn Rebels?”
“Sir,” Lee beings, stepping forward. “We only need a minute.”
“Lee,” he says when he finally looks up from his game.
When he stands he is as tall as Lee, but so thin that he still seems small in comparison.
“Gentlemen, I am sorry but you will have to continue the game without me,” he nods, handing his cards to one of the other players and leading us away. “Lee, this better be good. I had two aces in that hand,” he says before turning to Travis and saying, “I’ve got this from here.”
“Yes, sir,” Travis says, hurrying off.
“Sir,” Gabby begins. “I am Captain Nolan.”
She holds out her hand, but he doesn’t take it.
“Let me be frank,” the Colonel says. “I don’t like the Rebels. I never have and I never will. I was a follower of Tia Cole, and you came in and destroyed everything that we knew. I had family die in that attack while I was down here, fighting those bastards across the border. Then y’all come in and decide that this war ain’t worth fighting no more. Texans fight Mexicans. It’s what we’ve always done. This peace ain’t gonna last forever, and when the fighting breaks out again, my men are gonna be too fat and lazy to do anything about it because they’ve been sittin’ around doin’ nothin’, all thanks to you godforsaken Rebels.”
“Colonel!” Gabby snaps.
She grabs his arm and leans in to whisper something in his ear. Startled by her action, and then her words, he straightens up. Gabby hands him the letter from Adrian. He reads it quickly and then looks up at us.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” he says before yelling. “Travis!”
Travis runs up to receive his orders.
“Call up a cart from the pound,” the Colonel says. “These folks have need of it.”
Then, turning to Gabby, he says, “Good luck, Nolan, you’re going to need a lot of it.”
Chapter 58: Gabby
Eve of Tomorrow (Dawn of Rebellion Series Book 3) Page 15
