Two decks down, Phillips brought them to a hatch. He opened it and inside appeared rows, stacked three high, of beds and small wall lockers.
Not having spent a single day onboard a naval vessel, Finley was excited somewhat by the experience. “Christ, you all sleep in these things?” he said with a laugh as he pointed out the small racks.
“Ah, yeah, sorry, these are the typical luxury accommodations the army gets,” Gordon said as he tossed his gear on a rack.
“That’s quality of life! We know how to live,” Finely retorted.
“Quality of life? The military isn’t about quality of life, it’s about quantity of the enemy we kill,” Gordon fired back.
“Quantity? I think we could say the army has more enemy KIAs than any other service!”
“I would also add it’s about efficiency, and the Marines get a ton of shit done for the fraction of the cost the army does.”
“I see you don’t dispute my argument of total kills.”
“The army is, like, ten times the size of the Marine Corps. I’d challenge that based upon percentages.”
Finley raised his hand like a sock puppet and began to mock Gordon. “Percentages, percentages.”
“Whatever,” Gordon said, irritated with Finley’s smugness.
“Oh my God, these beds suck!” Finley cried out as he lay on the rack.
“I thought you were a mountain-division guy. Aren’t you boys supposed to be tough?”
“It’s just stupid to make you guys live like this.”
“Enough of the bullshit, let’s take a walk around. I want to get eyes on things so we can get the hell out of here,” Gordon said as his thoughts shifted to Samantha and Haley. “How about you call in and then we head into town?”
“Good idea,” Finley said, sitting up. They made their way to the flight deck, where Finley made contact with command in Cheyenne. He was communicating their initial reports as Gordon scanned the deck. As he approached Finley, Finley turned away from him, as if trying to conceal the conversation.
“Hey, I’m on this mission too!”
Finley’s back was now toward him.
“Hey, I need you to check on something!”
Finley only responded with his hand in the air, indicating for Gordon to be quiet.
“Hey!”
Finley swung around and asked, “What?”
Gordon shot him an angry look and said, “I need you to check on my brother and his wife!”
Finley rolled his eyes, and then asked into the phone, “Sir, Mr. Van Zandt is inquiring as to the condition of the woman.”
Gordon could hear the voice but it was unintelligible.
Finley finished the call. “Thank you, sir, we’ll check back in tonight.”
“Well?”
Finley stared at Gordon, cold and irritated.
“How is she—are they okay?”
“First thing, let’s establish something. Don’t interrupt me again; second, while you think this is your mission, it’s mine. You were our key to get in. I’m in charge of everything else. Do you understand?”
Gordon’s first reaction was to tell him to go fuck off but he refrained. “Listen here, I might have been your key but I’m also cover for you. This is a joint mission, and I can rat you out any time.”
“And if you do, your brother and sister-in-law will pay.”
Gordon paused to bite his tongue. He was indeed in a tight spot and didn’t have the leverage he often enjoyed.
“Do we understand one another?”
With a hard look, Gordon conceded. “Understood. Now, please tell me how my sister-in-law is doing.”
“It wasn’t good.”
Gordon’s face paled. “What?”
“She had something called intestinal ischemia.”
“What’s that?”
“Do I look like a doctor? I don’t know, they said they had operated on her.”
“And?”
“She’s stable and your brother is with her. It looks like it will be okay.”
Gordon breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing else?”
“That’s it. She’ll be fine, and he’s good. Now, let’s go get some food. I’m starving,” Finley said.
Elko, Nevada
Pablo threw the binoculars on the ground in disgust. His forces had taken a severe hit in the latest series of airstrikes from the United States Air Force. Numerous tanks, armored personnel carries, and trucks were ablaze. Smoke billowed from the metal carcasses now strewn along the high desert plains.
He grabbed his radio and screamed, “General Alejandro!”
Static cracked on his receiver, then Alejandro answered him. “Yes, Emperor.” The sound of men yelling and screaming could be heard in the background.
“I need a status report!” Pablo barked.
“Sir, it’s too early to know. We are still assessing the situation.”
“General, when you’re done, gather the commanders and meet me in the command post,” Pablo ordered.
“Yes, Emperor,” Alejandro replied.
Pablo wanted to be angry at someone but the only person he could be mad at was himself. He had ordered that most of the forces should be placed out of the city. General Alejandro had said keeping them inside the small city would conceal them in the open and prevent the U.S. forces from hitting them for fear of collateral damage. In his arrogance, Pablo had insisted they set up outside the city. There was no real justification for this decision, he just didn’t want Alejandro to be challenging his authority so brazenly. Now his naïve decision had resulted in his forces being slaughtered.
A strong northern wind began to blow the black smoke horizontal across the eastern hills. The sound of rounds cooking off from the heat of the burning vehicles echoed and popped. An occasional scream from one of his men added to the concerto of horror before him.
His anger soon led to a deep feeling of defeat. His army could not keep taking these types of hits. The EMPs were supposed to have disabled much of the U.S. air capabilities, but either the United States had repaired some of their jets or they had been provided support. Maybe he needed help; his hubris had stopped him from seeking assistance outside of buying it. After today’s events, he realized that he just might need an ally. The Americans were in disarray, but they were not going to give up without a fight. If his plans of a great Pan-American Empire were to actually come true, he would need to find someone to assist him in the fight. As he did so often, Pablo looked back on history to give him guidance. If Hitler felt the need to have allies like Mussolini, Stalin, and the Emperor of Japan, he too could use them.
Today had been horrible and he just couldn’t think of anything else that could go wrong; but the radio came to life, dampening any hopes of that.
“Emperor, this is Major Silva.” Major Silva was his new chief of staff; he oversaw all of Pablo’s more personal matters. Hearing him meant something else was occurring outside of the military-operational scope.
Pablo picked up the receiver and hit the button. “Yes, Major.”
“Sir, we’ve received an important message. Your attention to the matter is critical.”
“What is it?” Pablo asked, frustrated by the string of incidents.
“Sir, this is personal. You may want to come back to receive the message.”
Pablo closed his eyes and clicked the receiver. “Major, go to the secure channel and relay the message.”
Pablo clicked the dial on his radio and waited for the major to come on. A brief moment elapsed before Major Silva’s voice came over the airwaves.
“Emperor, are you there, over?”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, I regret to tell you, but we have received word that your father has had a major stroke. Your mother is requesting you come see him.”
The trans
mission made Pablo sit straight up in his seat, his eyes wide with shock. Regardless of everything that had happened between him and his parents, he still loved them. They had never hurt him or wished ill of him; they had given him the best that life could offer.
“I’m heading to the command post now. Are you there?” Pablo spoke into the handset.
“No, sir, I’m at your residence.”
“Good. Pack my things, and get your things together as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pablo turned to his driver and commanded, “Take me to the command post.”
As the truck sped off, he thought about the situation. If his mother had requested his appearance it meant two things: one, his father was close to death, and two, they had forgiven him. He didn’t know much about his father’s condition but if he had one last chance to speak to him, he wasn’t going to let that chance slip away.
McCall, Idaho
Samantha decided the best strategy for her and Haley during Gordon’s absence was to carry on with their normal day-to-day plans. Every Saturday afternoon, she met with the other ladies of the McCall Women’s Auxiliary. She found these meetings beneficial not only for the valuable information and skills they were taught, but also for the bonding. She was determined from day one to make McCall home and to fit into the community at large, and so she started the group. Word soon spread of how great it was and soon what turned into a handful of women meeting in their homes turned into dozens of women, and the meetings had shifted to a larger place. The owner of the Shore Lodge, a rustic, luxury hotel on Payette Lake, allowed them use of a large banquet room.
Samantha had just finished the meeting and was having casual conversation with Beth Holloway and a few other women when Haley walked up
“Mommy, I don’t feel good,” Haley said, coughing.
Upon seeing her flushed skin and watery eyes, Samantha jumped and attended to her immediately.
“Oh my God! Honey, you don’t look good.” She knelt down and placed the back of her hand on Haley’s forehead. “You’re burning up.”
“My body aches,” Haley said, grimacing as she tenderly hugged herself.
Beth squatted down too and said, “Does your throat hurt?”
Haley nodded and said, “It really hurts.”
“What else hurts?” Beth asked.
“My whole body,” she said, and began to cough hoarsely.
“I’m going to get her home. I’m sorry, I should’ve just stayed home when she first complained.”
Beth turned and looked at the other women. “We should all call it a day. I’m not sure what Haley has, but flulike symptoms in the middle of summer is strange. I suggest we don’t have the kids interact with each other until we know for sure what it is.”
“I’m so sorry, Beth. She must have what Luke has,” Samantha said as she gathered her things.
“What’s wrong with Luke?”
“Dry cough, fever, diarrhea, body aches. It seems like the flu.”
“Sickness is a part of life. The only thing we can do is get them better and hope no one else gets it.”
Samantha nodded. “Thanks, Beth. We better head out. Please let the other ladies know that they should be on alert for these symptoms with their kids.” With Haley in tow, Samantha rushed out of the Shore Lodge, her mind racing.
Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming
A tugging pain in her lower abdomen jarred Annaliese from her deep sleep. Looking down she saw Sebastian, his head resting on the bed. She smiled at her husband, deep in sleep. She looked around the room, cognizant enough for the first time to take in her surroundings. It was your standard hospital room, with an old TV hung in the corner, two small chairs set against the opposite wall, and a small sink and cabinet next to them. They were very fortunate to have their own private room, especially considering how the need for care had skyrocketed with the volumes of refugees pouring into Cheyenne. In some ways, she felt bad because she was receiving special treatment, but wasn’t about to refuse it. She knew everything she had received came with a hefty price tag, and she was grateful.
The tugging pain came again, this time like an electrical shock. It made her wince and shift in the bed. The heart monitor on the wall recorded this as it beeped quicker with each flash of pain. Her movements woke Sebastian.
Seeing her awake, he widened his eyes. “You all right? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just a bit of pain.”
“Let me get someone,” he said, jumping up.
“Wait, one second. Stay with me for a bit,” she said, gripping his hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s only a little pain. I’ll be fine. I want to talk with you.”
Sebastian sat back down and looked at her with his concerning eyes.
“This might sound crazy, but what day is it?”
“It’s Saturday, June twenty-seventh.”
“Ha. Sorry, but I feel like I’ve been out of it for a while.”
“Yeah, well, you have.”
“Did we talk earlier or was that a dream?”
“I was wondering if you’d remember that. You seemed a bit groggy.”
“Oh, no, did I say something stupid?”
Sebastian’s eyes shone with sympathy as he tightened his grip on her hand and answered, “No, you were just mumbling some things. Nothing you should be concerned about. Don’t worry; you didn’t divulge any dark secrets.”
“It seems like a dream.”
“I’m glad it’s just a dream and has passed now. It could have been a nightmare. You’re going to be fine now, they removed the blood clot without complication, and now all you need to do is lie here, rest, and heal.”
“Nothing is ever that easy,” she said cynically.
“That’s it, really! The prognosis is good. You just need rest.”
She squirmed again as another jolt of pain hit her gut.
“Let me go get the nurse, I think you need another shot of pain meds,” he said, jogging out of the room. He came back quickly, followed by a nurse who administered more pain medications via her IV.
“This might make her drowsy, which is good. The more rest, the better,” the nurse said with a smile. “Is there anything else?”
Sebastian felt hunger pangs and needed to eat something. “Where can I get some food?”
“We have a cafeteria three floors down. I can have something brought up for you.”
“If you don’t mind, that would be great,” Sebastian said. “I’d like to stay here with my beautiful wife.”
“Honey, you can go, I’ll be fine here by myself.”
“No, I want to stay.”
The nurse looked at the two as they debated, then winked. “I’ll have something brought up,” she said as she left.
“They’re busy, why didn’t you just go downstairs?”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re silly, you’ll have to clear your head and stretch your legs sometime.”
“I will, just not now. You only got out of surgery this morning.”
Annaliese closed her eyes as the pain meds began to course through her body.
“The pain meds look like they’re already working,” he remarked.
Not opening her eyes she answered softly, “Yeah, feels good.” She reopened her eyes and said, “Any word from your brother?”
“No, but I should find out soon.”
“I don’t know how to thank him.”
“I do. Bake him some of those lemon cookies.”
“You think he liked them? They’re so much better made with real lemons.”
“Are you kidding me? He loved them. The lemon extract was a perfect substitute.”
“I think he was just being nice.”
“No, he really loved them; he couldn’
t stop talking about them.”
“I was so embarrassed, I can’t believe you made me serve them.”
“Why? They tasted great. I can only imagine how they would taste with real lemons but considering what you managed to do with limited supplies, I applaud you. If you want to repay him, bake him a few dozen of those when we get back.”
Annaliese’s eyes grew heavy. “Okay, I’ll do that. Um, yes, I’ll make him cookies when I . . .” Her eyelids fluttered open and closed.
“Sweetheart, just get some sleep.”
“Okay. I’m sorry, I’m just so tired.”
She pressed her eyes closed but openly them quickly and said, “I love you, Sebastian.”
“I love you too.”
He watched as she breathed slowly, falling into a deep slumber. He took his hand and brushed some of her blond hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ears. Standing, he planted a soft kiss upon her cheek.
The hum of the monitors was the only sound in the room, leaving Sebastian with his thoughts. He was worried about Gordon. If something happened to him, he didn’t know how he’d face Samantha, much less Haley. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card from Wilbur. Of anyone, she should know about the situation in Coos Bay. He picked up the phone on the table next to him. Surprisingly, there was a dial tone. He punched in the number and waited. It rang for a few moments until a voice he recognized answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Sebastian Van Zandt. Sorry to bother you, but you said to call if I needed anything.
McCall, Idaho
Nelson opened the door to The Bistro, a local hangout. The smell of smoke, baked goods, and coffee washed over him. Like Gordon, he had been invited to come and meet Charles, a representative from the Western Cascadian movement. For the most part, he stayed out of the local politics, but any excuse to get out of the house was enough for him, particularly after the struggle of the past few months. He had suffered greatly from the gun battle in Eagle, and for a time, it looked like he wouldn’t make it. He felt blessed to be alive and promised to live his life with greater joy and gratitude. The death of his father hit him hard, but it was his mother who shouldered the brunt of the pain. Months had passed and she was still in deep mourning over the loss of her Frank. Many of her days were spent wandering their house in her nightgown. Nelson tried desperately to help with her depression but each attempt was countered with the same “Leave me alone” or “Let me be.” Nelson didn’t like conflict and after his attempts to soothe her failed, he decided to indeed just let her be. He went out of his way to make her life easy and effortless, but he stopped mentioning his father and her depression.
The Line of Departure: A Postapocalyptic Novel (The New World Series Book 4) Page 14
