I was excited that it looked as though we were going to revitalize the area, but I still had questions for which I needed answers. “General, I understand your focus is getting set up around here, but I still have some questions. First, if 95% of the military is on our side, who is fighting for Homeland? How close are the Homeland and UN troops? I understand there was some conflict in Northern Virginia. Has that been resolved? Will you be able to provide any defense to this area from aerial threats? How many troops do you have with you? Will you have planes or helicopters to help? How are you going to feed all of your troops? Do you think we will see combat in this area?”
“Whoa, hold on! One at a time. First, Homeland Security is made up of a number of agencies, including ICE, Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, FEMA, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration.”
“Oh, great,” I snickered. “The TSA will fight us by throwing luggage at us, right.”
General McPherson smiled and continued. “Homeland also has a large number of contractors – essentially mercenaries who will fight for pay. They do have a rather formidable force. The UN troops are mostly in the northeastern big cities - New York, Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, and so on. We know there are some homeland troops up around the Fairfax, Virginia area. The conflict that occurred was just outside Manassas. In fact, we are calling it “Third Manassas” in honor of the two battles there from the First Civil War that preceded this one. While we were able to push the Homeland forces back to Alexandria, the area is still very volatile. We have several groups of Rangers up there working with the local Militia to hold our lines and we believe at least for now, they are being successful. Once we are set up, we have aviation elements I am working with that will move here. We’ll have cargo planes and helicopters mostly at first, although once we lengthen the runways, we hope to accommodate fighters, too. Right now, the airport main runway is only 5500 feet long. We need to add at least another 500 feet to be able to accommodate the fighters. The second runway is a lot shorter, and we will probably just use that for the helicopters and small planes. As for air defense, yes, we have antiaircraft weapons, and once my Air Force buddies get here, they will be setting up additional radar and defensive capabilities. As for soldiers, all together I have somewhere around 1200 soldiers here with us, although I’ve not had time to take a head count. Many are special forces troops, but there are also others from Fort Bragg, plus our sustainment troops.
“What else did you ask? Oh, yes, food. We were able to get a significant amount of food stores hidden in the caverns in the weeks before the attack, so for now we will be fine – rations will be tight, but we have enough for quite a while. We will also be scavenging, and hopefully working with the local farms that might still be functioning to grow additional crops. Our sustainment troops will also be planting a large garden on the college campus, so we can supplement stored food with fresh.
“Finally, your question about combat here: I honestly do not know. I certainly hope not, but it all depends on the will of the UN troops to engage in battle with American troops. I’ve heard there are almost three million UN troops on the west coast and close to that many on the northeastern coast. Right now, we are not in any position to take on that many troops, but as our units around the country get coordinated, our chances at defeating them improve. We are trying to keep any combat localized to areas where these troops are already established. Any other questions?”
Tom raised his hand, and asked, “How about the president, senators and congressmen that were being held hostage? What’s the story there?”
“We have been able to free a number of the hostages at this point, and they are in hiding. The President is still being held, but the Vice President is now free. As I mentioned to the troops, there was fighting involved in freeing these people, and unfortunately, that means that some hostages were injured, and a few were killed. All of the Joint Chiefs are free as well, and they are the ones coordinating all of the military actions across the country. I think that is all I’d better say about that at this point.”
I could not resist asking, “In your talk to the troops today, you really hit it hard about not painting all liberals and democrats the same. What’s the story with that?” The General paused and looked thoughtful before answering.
“I have had troops actually fight with each other – physically fight - over the schism between the left and the right. Both sides have valid points, and we can’t condemn everyone for the actions of a few power-hungry radicals. I am tired of hearing people labeled because of the way they vote. I am fed up with both parties. Neither party has stepped up over the past few years to put an end to the troubles plaguing this nation. It could have been a simple fix if both sides would have worked together – but their individual interests were more important than the interests of the people of this country. I have soldiers in my command from both parties and they all love their country. The people who are causing this mess are not Democrats or Republicans. They are radical anti-Americans, and they are the ones who are the enemy to everything for which this country stands. I meant every word of what I said to those troops. We will not survive as a nation if we cannot have respectful discussions and disagreements. After all, it’s through discussion and even disagreements that we come up with new and better ways to do things.” He paused for a minute or two, and then looked at us somewhat sheepishly. “Forgive me for getting on my soapbox about this, but it is a topic about which I have strong feelings. We have got to close the gap, and in some ways, that is the mission that drives me. Remember Lincoln’s speech about a house divided – we will not endure if this divide is not healed quickly.”
I nodded agreement. The general’s philosophy was different than what I had been thinking, but it did make sense. I would have to give this more thought later on. We continued to talk for a few more minutes, and then the general looked at his watch.
“Sammy, I think it is time we got back, especially if we plan on moving by 1400. Denise, Tom, it was a pleasure to meet both of you. I am sure we will be seeing each other soon. Carter, will you show us back to the gate?” We all shook hands, and Carter, Sammy, and the general left. Mark stayed behind and asked us to stay and talk for a few minutes. I thought that was a good idea, as we had a lot of work ahead of us. After Carter and our guests left, I patted Mark on the shoulder and said, “We are so proud of you! Wait until your parents hear about your promotion and new responsibilities. We’ll do anything we can to support your new mission.”
Mark smiled and said, “Thanks. I wanted to talk to the two of you about how we can go about fixing up this community. I have some ideas, but I wanted to hear what you both thought as well. After all, look at what you’ve done here.”
Tom asked, “What kind of things are you wanting to hear from us?”
“Anything that will help us quickly and efficiently get this community going. The faster we get this done, the faster we can get people moved in and the faster we can work on getting us all back to whatever will pass for our new normal.” Mark smiled and pointed at me. “You are the brainy one among the three of us. What are you thinking?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at him, pausing for a minute to think. “Can we go with you to get a look at this area? I think no matter what we do to get the homes fixed up, we need to focus on security of the area first. I don’t know if there are enough conexes left to create a berm like we have here, but maybe we can find something else to create some kind of barrier to prevent people just walking in. We also need to be sure it is big enough that it doesn’t feel like a jail to the people living there. I think our first priority should be making sure it is secure.”
Mark nodded thoughtfully. “The community is a gated community, surrounded by a ten-foot wrought iron fence. We could probably do something to strengthen the fence itself. We did repair the gates, and we can put a guard shack in at the gate as well.”
I was excited to hear there already was a fence. “Having a fence
already in place is great. That should save us some time. We probably ought to have a squad walk the fence to be sure it is intact and that nobody has knocked any of it down. Once we know the area is reasonably secure, we can start fixing up homes, one block at a time. Once we have a block ready, we can start moving people in and they can help getting the next block ready. I think people need to help create their own neighborhoods or else they will start to have an entitlement mentality, and heaven knows we will not be providing everything for these people. They will have to plant their own gardens and figure out how to get items they need by trading or bartering. I suppose we will need to teach them how to plant unless we get some farmers or gardeners in the group. I also think we need to think about where wells need to be placed, and where septic tanks can be installed if homes don’t already have them. We need to have a map with everything on it – homes, sheds, sewer lines, water lines, all that kind of stuff.”
Mark started laughing. I looked at him to see if he was losing his mind or what. He tried to stop laughing, and said, “You are the only person I know who is so OCD that in the midst of a national disaster, you want maps with all the details. You said all that and didn’t even stop to take a breath. But, you are correct that it would be very helpful to have those details, especially when we go to dig wells and try to get running water. Tom, do you think we could get a couple of large wells established and hook up to the existing water lines?”
“I think we need to check out what’s there before I answer that. Can we take a run over there tomorrow?”
“Sure. Let me get a few folks together to come with us for security, and we can go around seven o’clock, if that’s okay with both of you. I’ll be leaving a few troops there to provide security. Why don’t you meet us over by the barracks at seven? Oh, and make sure you are both armed.”
“Works for us,” Tom said. With that, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the house. We were met at the door by a crowd, all wanting to know what we learned from the general. We suggested everyone come out onto the porch. Once everyone interested was settled, we proceeded to tell everyone what we learned about Homeland forces, about the general and his plans, and what our role would be in helping the area recover. We also told everyone about the promotions and Mark and Carter’s new responsibilities. I could see a lot of smiles and nods of agreement as Tom and I talked about renovating the community and finding townspeople to move into the secured areas.
“Tom and I will be going with Mark and a few troops into the area tomorrow to see what we have to work with. I’ll bring my tablet, so I can take pictures to show you all later. Once we know what’s there, we’ll figure out who is going to do what. Mark will give us some of his troops to help with labor and security. He is also sending the Marines out to start scavenging things we’ll need for the construction in the area. Let’s plan on meeting tonight after dinner and we can start making plans then.”
Everyone seemed to be agreeable to that, and so Tom and I headed to the kitchen to grab a sandwich before we got busy with today’s tasks. Frank and Bill followed us into the kitchen, both with serious expressions. Frank spoke first. “I’m worried that if we have people leaving from here to work in the community, we won’t have enough help here for everything, especially security.”
Bill added, “Yes, especially since we have so many acres of freshly planted fields to guard, and all the kids.”
I looked at Tom and he answered, “Guys, we are going to help, but we won’t be the only ones there working. Most of the actual labor will be done by the troops. We will not let that many people leave the area at a time. Carter and the general both assured us Mark’s men will continue to provide security for the farm. We will have specialists going to help – Kiara, Marty, Jose, Tim, Red, and I will be providing electrical, plumbing, and construction oversight. Denise will be helping to find people to put into these neighborhoods, but she won’t be going anywhere alone or unarmed. There will be security at the site, too. I appreciate your concern, and at the first sign our security is lacking, we will pull back on the project.”
I added, “We have been incredibly lucky here that we are able to have as many people living comfortably here as we do. Who knows what the townspeople have been dealing with. This is our chance to help our neighbors regain some of the quality of life we already have.” Frank and Bill nodded in agreement. I echoed Tom’s promise that we would not let this project get in the way of our security here.
“I’m sure you all have tons of things to do – I know I do. We need to check all of our equipment, radios, and other things to see if anything was damaged by the EMP. I also need to find some folks and thank them for breakfast!”
CHAPTER THREE
I headed back over to the community kitchen in the dining hall and found Janet, Gabby, and Maria putting away the last of the cleaned dishes from breakfast.
“Ladies, you really impressed the General and his adjutant. Actually, I think you really knocked their socks off. Thank you so much for all of the extra effort you three put in this morning.”
The three smiled, and Janet spoke up. “We wanted the general to see that we are able to survive here, and we can teach the other townspeople to survive, too. We figured if we could show our stuff to the general, he might have more confidence in all of our ability to overcome all of these challenges.”
Maria chimed in, “Plus, it is our chance to do something for the soldiers who are helping us, protecting us, and who might be saving us.”
I gave each of the three hugs. When I hugged Gabby, though, I noticed she looked really uncomfortable. On closer look, I noticed her hands and feet were puffy and even her face looked a bit swollen.
“Are you OK, dear?” I asked.
Gabby gave a weak smile. “Yes, I just don’t feel really good. I’m sure it is just being so pregnant and all of the stress of the EMP and everything, but I have a splitting headache.”
I told her to go lay down, and that I was going to go find James and Maureen to come check her over. Maria took her by the arm and offered to walk with her to her room. After they left, Janet told me she tried to get Gabby to go back to bed, but she insisted on helping make breakfast for everyone. “I think she is really overdoing it, and she still has a few more weeks before the baby is due. She really needs to take it easy. Maria and I can manage and if we need help, we can get one of the others to jump in.” I agreed with Janet and left to go find James and Maureen.
An hour later, James, Maureen, Gabby and I were in Jon and Gabby’s bedroom as Jon burst through the door.
“Gabby, honey, are you okay? What’s going on? Is the baby okay?” he asked, looking frantic. I put my arm around Jon and told him to settle down, that both mom and baby would be okay. Jon sat on the bed next to Gabby and held her hand. She smiled at him and reassured him she would be fine. Jon looked at James and asked him what was wrong.
James explained he and Maureen had examined Gabby and thought she might be starting to show signs of pre-eclampsia. Seeing Jon’s blank look, he explained, “Pre-eclampsia only happens in pregnant women. For some reason, Gabby’s blood pressure is a little high, and she has some swelling in her face, hands and feet. I’ve placed her on strict bed rest to see if we can get her blood pressure to come down some. I will also give her some medication to help the blood pressure. She is only allowed out of bed to go to the rest room for at least the next two weeks. I wish we had the ability to run some tests, but we don’t. Luckily, though, I think we caught it very early.” James looked very serious for a moment. “I do need to warn you both that if we can’t keep your blood pressure down, we may have to do a C-section a little earlier than your due date to keep the baby from having problems from the elevated blood pressure. I’ll be in to check on you frequently, as will Maureen. You can read or sew or sleep- but you need to be lying down, preferably on your left side to keep the weight of the baby off of your major blood vessels. I’ll also be talking to Janet about a special diet for you.”
&n
bsp; Jon and Gabby agreed to everything James told them, but they both looked shell-shocked. Gabby’s eyes were welling up with tears. “But how can I help with things if I am lying in bed all day? I want to pull my weight around here, and I can’t do that from here.”
I held her other hand and told her, “Gabby, dear, you have been working so hard. Right now, the best thing you can do is take good care of my wonderful daughter-in-law and my granddaughter,” I said.
“Granddaughter, Mom?” asked Jon. “Do you know something we don’t know?”
“Nope – just grandmother’s instinct that it is going to be a girl. Now do everything the doctor says. I don’t want my granddaughter popping out of the oven half-baked like her father” I said, laughing. Jon rolled his eyes at me, and I reminded him that he and his brother were born early by C-section because of pre-eclampsia, so I knew what I was talking about. The rest of us left the room to give Jon and Gabby some time alone.
We spent the rest of the day checking out equipment to see what survived the EMP. The radios that the security team were using were toast, but all of the equipment Father Dan locked in his cabinets seemed to be functional. Kiara finished hooking up the rest of the solar, and that, too seemed to be working well. The Nuk-Alerts remained quiet all day, and the wind kept up from the west. That was very reassuring.
Late in the afternoon after we finished checking everything, Kiara, Marcie, and I each got a glass of tea and sat out on the steps of the front porch. We were hot and tired, but happy to find out we actually lost very little from the EMP. As we sat there resting, we suddenly heard loud voices coming from the area outside the apartments. It sounded like several people fighting, and we quickly got to our feet and headed over to see what was going on. As we rounded the corner, we were surprised to see Maureen arguing with Anita, one of the dependent wives who lived in the apartments. Several other wives were standing around them, and it seemed that one or two were actually egging Anita on. Both Anita and Maureen were red in the face from yelling at each other.
Premonitions: Book 2: War Page 4
