by David Peters
Cap-Cap dropped back into the APC and began cycling through the various networks. Once on the Battalion network he said, “This is Iron Two. Anyone on the net come back.”
“Iron Two this is Iron One, Chris, you still there?” Tom sounded more tired than Cap-Cap could ever recall, “I can’t see any other tracks behind me not burning. I think I’m it.”
“Tom where are you, over.”
“I don’t know man. Once we got into the city there was really nothing we could do but keep moving. We had nowhere to go. Every track I have passed has been glazed,” Most of the military had taken to calling the Sapper attack on armor as a ‘glazing’. Several explosions could be heard on the radio along with a string of automatic weapons fire and the heavy booming of their auto cannon, “Damn that was close. We are balls out now. Not sure where we are but it don’t look like earth.” They could hear him struggling to hold on in the bouncing vehicle as the driver desperately tried to stay ahead of the horde.
“What’s your heading Tom?”
After a brief silence, “We are heading south. The roads, if you can even call them that, are getting pretty narrow. What the hell is that?”
“What do you see Tom?” After a few moments of silence Cap-Cap asked again, “Tom, what do you see?”
All he heard in reply was a quick pulse of static but then nothing for several minutes. Finally Tom answered back, “Ya, all you have to do now is hit the green button,” behind the conversation Cap-Cap could hear what sounded like massive hammers hitting the side of Tom’s Bradley, “Chris, we threw a track. We are at what has to be the main entrance. Several ‘Rupt Guards are trying to pound their way into the can and the Saps are about a hundred meters and closing.” There was several more seconds of dead air when Tom finally spoke, “It’s been good working with you Chris, you’re a soldiers soldier. This we’ll defend.”
Light streamed in through the gun ports as the nuclear weapon detonated several miles behind them. The crew had several seconds to brace themselves before the shockwave rolled over them and made their head and lungs feel like they would implode. Twisting the handle on his hatch he flung it open to look at the city of Santa Fe behind them. A towering mushroom cloud was rolling skyward and whatever hadn’t already burned in the city was now a raging inferno.
Cap-Cap opened the Battalion network again and made a brief call, “Any troops, come back, over.”
The captain stared at the radio for several more minutes attempting to will it to make a sound. There was nothing. He made one final call over the Battalion radio, “All forces move to the rendezvous point Charlie. Repeat. All forces move to the rendezvous point Charlie.” He pushed the boom mike away from his face and sighed heavily. He was at a loss for both words and thoughts.
“Probably a lot of radios knocked out by the pulse sir,” Jimmy said over the crew intercom. No one actually thought that was actually what happened though.
The Bradley that had been so badly scorched made it another three miles before the right track rolled off the idlers and splayed out on the highway. As they were moving people and ammunition to the two surviving Bradley’s Jimmy pointed to his helmet and nodded at Cap-Cap, “Good thing you were wearing that sir.”
Cap-Cap took his helmet off to see what Jimmy was talking about. When he had tumbled into the floor of a track he had caught the corner of something and punched a triangular hole all the way to the inner lining, “Damn, that would have made a mess.”
Jimmy smiled back and moved the last box of ammunition into the storage rack next to him, “We’re ready to roll out sir.”
Cap-Cap walked up the ramp with an armload of supplies, “Close ‘em up and let’s roll.”
The ramps came up in unison and the two surviving vehicles then proceeded up the highway at the fastest road speed they could comfortably hold. Several of the soldiers were sitting on the top of the Bradley’s as there simply wasn’t enough room inside.
Schmitty drove the track north-west in silence. All of the radio networks were quiet. The occupants of the two APCs were all that remained of Iron Two. What was over twelve hundred strong four hours ago was now down to twenty-nine souls. They continued the lonely journey well into the night.
--2--
The rendezvous point was a small dot on the map in a remote region of Southern Utah. It was chosen specifically because of the distance to any population center. The surviving members of the Delta Guard blended in with what remained from the support element. They were the soldiers that had been far behind lines, the medics, artillery and the random staff that couldn’t find a place in the armor to ride to the front. All told nearly one hundred people made their way into the camp by the second night.
Cap-Cap was still the most senior member to have arrived in the week they had been there. After waiting another week he ordered that every troop there gather in the command tent at 0900. He was going to do what he had been dreading since the war on man had begun. He stepped up on to the back of one of their large deuce-and-a-half trucks and saluted the soldiers in front of him. As one they saluted back and held it until his hand returned to his side.
“At ease soldiers.” The sound of soldiers coming to parade rest filled the courtyard, “I want to personally thank each and every one of you for coming this far. We are all from different backgrounds, different branches, but with one purpose. We were never fighting to save an idea or some secure a patch of dirt. We fought against the worst enemy humans have ever seen and I could never ask more from a soldier than what this group has delivered.” He paused for a second, “This is extremely difficult for me so I am going to make it short and to the point. I’m not going to blow smoke or tell you something is blue when it is really red. The once mighty US Military is no more. I hold your oaths served in full and you are no longer obligated to serve the nation as it once was. I encourage you to find your families and loved ones if you can. Head north if you are able. I and anyone that wishes to join me are heading to Oregon. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join me but there are no guarantees of what we will find there.” Cap-Cap saluted smartly and the crowd returned it. “If you choose another path I wish you the best of luck in whichever road you choose. You have fought well and I know you will continue to do so. You are discharged and dismissed. God be with you all.”
Cap-Cap stepped down from the back of the truck and walked silently through the crowd back to his tent. He could feel the energy drain from him with every step. The drive that had kept him going up this point was gone. Once inside his tent he closed and secured the flap and lay down on the small cot. For the first time in as long as he could remember he cried. He silently cried for the team he felt like he had let down and for the people that had lost their lives to this new plague. He cried because for the first time in his life he felt like he didn’t know what to do and didn’t have the answers.
At some point he drifted into an uncomfortable sleep haunted by dreams of battles past. A wrapping sound on the tent flap suddenly pulled him back from the dreams, “Come in.”
A female voice answered back, “I can’t. You tied it shut.”
He recognized Whiskey’s voice and jumped up to untie the tent cover, “Sorry about that, needed a little alone time.”
“I can come back,” she said with a smile.
“No, no, not that.” He ushered her in and stole a quick look outside to see if anyone was watching. It looked to be late afternoon and there wasn’t much in the way of activity in the camp.
“Ok,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “I understand the whole fraternizing thing but, one, everyone who has half a brain cell knows about us, and two, you sort of dissolved the military about a few hours ago so quit worrying about it.”
Cap-Cap sighed as he sat down in one of the metal folding chairs, “Sorry, old habits die hard.”
Jen sounded slightly apprehensive as she asked, “So what are your plans now?”
He unfolded one of the road maps of Oregon and showed her where he wanted to go
, “I’m going to see if Paradise Falls will have me.”
“You?”
“You don’t think they will,” he asked with confusion.
“What makes you think I’m letting you leave without me?”
Cap-Cap blushed, “I didn’t want to assume you would stay with me.”
“You thought after all we have been through, all the hiding, fighting and running around the country side that I wouldn’t stick with you after it was all done?”
“I honestly hadn’t thought that far.”
“You may be great with the troops and tanks and all that military crap but you are a complete idiot with women,” she stated with a slightly playful tone. “I swear, the men in this company are borderline brain dead.”
“I’m sorry?” He said more as a question than an actual apology.
“That’s a good start. From now on though I want to hear things like, where are we going, what are we doing? You are stuck with me pal. You might as well start getting used to it now.”
“I love you Jen.”
“You’re learning fast, but this ain’t over yet.” She sat down on the cot and waited for him to join her.
--3--
The next morning Cap-Cap woke up with Jen still in his arms on the tiny cot. Well over a dozen of the now ex-military people had left in the middle of the night, some stopping by to say their goodbyes but most simply disappeared silently into the darkness. They left by whatever means they could, some on foot, several packed into a Humvee, and quite a few took motorcycles they had found on the way to Utah. He had no idea what was in store for them or where they were going. He guessed they didn’t know either. It still left him with an empty feeling inside to think about where their lives were headed.
He dressed in his normal khaki work uniform and headed over to the chow hall only to find it was now self-serve. There were several men sitting at one table drinking coffee and playing some sort of card game. He wandered over to see if he could play a few hands. When one of them made a comment about countering the other’s spell cast by slapping a card down on the table Cap-Cap turned away quickly and walked over to the coffee machine.
The coffee poured out thick and tasted like road tar, “Who the hell made this shit?”
Jimmy stood up behind the mobile grill and apologized sheepishly, “Sorry sir that would be me. Anyone that knows how to cook anything besides an MRE is gone so I did the best I could.”
“S’ok Jimmy. Let’s dump this crap out and see if we can make something actually drinkable. Jen is liable to hang us by our nuts if she even gets a whiff of this stuff.”
“Sorry sir.”
“Enough with the sir just call me Cap-Cap, or Chris. Hell, you’re young, aren’t you supposed to call me dude or something?”
“That will take some getting used to si...uh, Cap-Cap,” Jimmy smiled back at him.
They spent the next half hour trying to figure out the powdered eggs and how to get the powdered pancakes to not be black on one side and gooey on the other. Over the course of an hour they managed to make several nearly palatable meals and coffee that just barely still stuck to the sides of the cup.
Several more troopers came by and wished everyone well as they headed out of the camp and into a dangerous world. Twenty nine people chose to go with Cap-Cap to Paradise Falls. Only twenty-three survived the trip. The other hundred plus chose to find family or simply remain where they were in the remote camp. As they were making their final check before driving away for good Cap-Cap shook the hands and wished well every person remaining behind. He hated what he could see in the eyes of so many. After a wordless handshake with one man he watched as the young soldier walked a short distance away and sat down against a tree. His eyes were empty. He was simply waiting for what to him was the inevitable. In the young man’s eyes, the captain could see that hope had been lost.
--4--
Cap-Cap stood at the front window of the cabin watching what used to be his men going about the process of building a new life. It took a few minutes for him to compose himself and return to the dining room table with the others.
Dylan and Niccole stared in silence at the man as he sat back down. It was very difficult to get a full grasp of what he had just told them. The military had not only lost. It was gone. The vaunted government war machine, the most powerful army ever built by man, had faded to the four winds.
Jen squeezed his hand as he stared down at the table. She met Niccole and Dylan’s eyes and gave them a half smile. All three knew how hard those decisions had been for him but they also knew there really wasn’t any other option. He had made an extremely tough decision, but realistically it was the only one. They could continue to fight on but the ultimate outcome was easy to see for anyone who understood the basic concept of math. There were more Corrupted than humans and their numbers grew faster every day.
Cap-Cap cleared his throat and continued, “I can’t speak for much of anything east of the Mississippi. Communication has been a bitch to deal with. They may be there or they may not. General Kane was as high as my communications ever went and most of that information died with him and his support crew. Either way there is a good chance I will never know. I know most of those that didn’t come with us went north. We had a fairly large group from the Montana National Guard and they were as anxious as any to find out what was left of their lives.”
Once again an uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Dylan looked at the bottom of his empty cup of tea, “I’m in the mood for something a little harder, anyone else?” Dylan said as he walked into the kitchen. He returned with four short glasses and a dark bottle of brown liquid. “It isn’t as good as any of the name brand Whiskies but it’s damn close. Two fingers of our best all around?” Everyone nodded in unison and took the offered glass.
Dylan pushed the old stopper back into the top of the bottle with a squeak of fine cork, “So Cap-Cap, knowing what you do about the Corrupted, what kind of options do we have with Sumter? We may not be able to save the world, but I wouldn’t mind cleaning up our little corner of it. I would rest easier knowing it was difficult for them to mount such large attacks against us.”
“You folks have pretty much what I have been saying the Army should have done from the start. Build a safe house and go from there. You have supplies and ammunition and it actually puts you in a position of being able to not only successfully defend yourselves, but range out if needed.” The captain leaned back in his chair and rubbed the scruff of his unshaven face, “Sure would be nice if we could get one of our Party-Packs into that nest. If we could get it down deep enough we wouldn’t have to worry about fallout or anything. Sumter might be unlivable for the next hundred years or so but I don’t think folks would complain. What do you have in mind?”
Niccole sighed, “We have nothing at this point. Half the city burned down last time we were there, so there isn’t a whole lot left to salvage. We are pretty much out of heavy weapons of any sort. Even the ammunition Daniel thought would last a lifetime is running low. I know Travis said he could build some ancient siege gear that could toss things a mile but you already said that would just blast the top off the thing.”
Cap-Cap smiled for the first time in an hour, “I don’t know how keen I would be on the idea of putting a nuclear weapon on a catapult. Some technologies just don’t blend well. But on a more serious note, we brought plenty of ammunition, that shouldn’t be a problem for quite some time to come. We still have a truck and a half down by the road filled with ammo and rations.”
Dylan spoke as if thinking out loud, “We should sit down with Travis. Doc discovered a compound he can make that acts like a nerve agent on the Corrupted. We need to figure out how we can use that to our advantage. We have to start thinking smarter. They have shown that they can not only think ahead of us but adapt to what we do extremely quickly. Let’s change that. Let’s get them reacting to us for a change, get them to feel a little off kilter. We need to stop thinking of them as being less than
us and start thinking of them as being more.”
There was silence as everyone around the table contemplated Dylan’s words.
“I don’t know about everyone else around this table,” Niccole said in an attempt to lighten the mood, “But I’m kind of tired of this way of life. Always looking over my shoulder, never knowing if I am going to get a good night’s sleep or be woken by the sound of gun fire. I don’t remember the last time I had a really good night’s sleep. I think everyone else is feeling it too. Half the time people wander around in a daze simply because they are so damn tired. Having your people with us will really help with the work load and go a long ways with helping people feel a little more secure.”
Dylan smiled, “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s get the rest of your gear and anything we can salvage off the trucks up here tomorrow and then we will see where we are at and which direction we should go.”
Conversation moved on to the more logistical aspects of adding twenty-three new members to the town and how they can most effectively be used to everyone’s benefit. They had a few thousand pounds of supplies to move in the morning. Dylan’s back was already starting to ache just thinking about it.
