“When the baby is a month or two old, then you’ll be reassigned,” Bruce told him then Bruce started eating. Susan came and took the kids to school, when she was gone Bruce asked Mike to bring him up to speed.
“Well there are fewer than five thousand blues in an eighty mile radius. We found another gang outside of Baton Rouge and another in east Texas. That brings the total to ten separate gangs we know of. The people that didn’t want to join us have all changed their minds and want to join now after we showed them video of the horde attacking us. There’re about three hundred spread out over north Louisiana and southern Arkansas. I haven’t sent recovery teams out yet because I wanted your thoughts on it,” Mike stated.
“If they follow rules, I don’t care. If they don’t, kill ‘em,” Bruce replied.
“Okay, we burnt the fields around us to sanitize the ground and the northwest corner. We turned a container in storage area twelve to an ammo reloading area to supply the back of the farm in the next attack. We have twenty more chopper pilots and ten more airplane pilots. We now have two dozen Blackhawks and a dozen Apaches. We didn’t bring back any others but did bring back ten more Bradleys from Marcus’s farm,” Mike finished.
Bruce nodded, “Sounds good,” he said pushing his plate back.
“Where are you going first?” Mike asked.
“South, we’ll hit the gang there and clear out Baton Rouge and New Orleans,” Bruce told him.
Several at the table gasped. “Bruce, that’s over a million right there,” Mike informed him a little alarmed.
A large grin split Bruce’s face. “I know, we’ll you use mobility to take away their advantage in numbers,” Bruce told him with a cheerful expression.
Still alarmed but not wanting to show it Mike stood up. “Okay, you want to see Omega’s new vehicles?” Mike asked.
“Sounds good,” Bruce said standing up.
Angela and Stephanie slung their new rifles and moved to each side of Bruce as he wrapped his arms around them. They walked outside to the machine shop area. What used to be a class A RV was sitting outside. It was covered in steel plate and reactive armor so if a rocket hit it, the armor would blow out and not let the rocket penetrate the interior. The inside had been ripped out and the back was a small control area for the micro UAVs and radio area. The kitchen was bigger to make meals for the team outside. It had two 500hp engines, one for the back two axels the other for the front wheels. It carried three hundred gallons of diesel.
The next were the fuel and water trucks that were covered in armor. The water truck could filter water so they could fill up from lakes. Then there was two semis; the rigs were armored and one had beds attached to the wall four high, enough to hold the entire team with a shower area. The other was the supply truck that carried ammo and food. All the Strykers and LAVs of Omega had gun racks put in so each person could put four weapons in their own rack. The last was a semi with a huge wedge shaped plow to move vehicles or blues out of the way.
Bruce told everyone thank you and took Stephanie and Angela to shoot the AUGs. As they walked away Mike watched them. The entire time they showed Bruce the vehicles, Mike noticed Bruce was so detached from everything. “Debbie, thank you so much for bringing those two in his life. You were right, without them I don’t think we would’ve had a chance to save him,” Mike said out loud to himself.
The next morning at the breakfast table Millie and several other women came over to the table and stood facing Bruce. Looking up at them Bruce asked, “What?”
“We made some stuff for Omega,” Millie told him handing Bruce a box.
Opening the box Bruce looked inside to find stacks of patches. The patches were black with a white Omega symbol sewn in. Seeing a flag folded up Bruce took it out and held it up. The flag was black with a white Omega symbol on it.
Looking back at the ladies, “Thank you ladies, now they’ll know who to fear,” Bruce told them. They all smiled at him with forced smiles but Millie came over and hugged Bruce.
“No matter how many ya kill it won’t be bringin’ her back. If it would, I’d join ya. I’d be doin’ the same buts please be careful,” Millie said releasing him.
“I will not put my team in unnecessary danger Millie. I need them to kill humans and blues. When I’m finished everything will fear us,” Bruce told her. Millie just stared at him. The light in Bruce’s eyes was gone. Staring at him was like looking at death. The only time he smiled was around the kids, Angela and Stephanie. Millie patted his hand and went back to the kitchen.
Bruce sat back down, “Willie, do you have the replacements for Omega and the extra squad?” Bruce asked.
“Yes we have a thirty man team with six, five man squads. Our resource crew is thirty also which includes our drivers, gunners, cooks and communication team,” Willie informed him.
“We carry a million rounds and seven days worth of food in the primary strike vehicles. The other vehicles I want stuffed with ammo. Every trooper is to have three rifles,” Bruce told him.
“Already done boss,” Willie replied.
Bruce turned to Mike, “Have the choppers ready to scramble on a thirty minute notice. You know what needs to be done here. If we find survivors we’ll keep them with us until we get enough to send a convoy for them,” Bruce told Mike.
“I want to send out hunting patrols for the blues around here?” Mike asked.
“You’re in charge, I don’t care, but Angela and Stephanie are not to leave this farm for any reason,” Bruce told him.
Angela looked up at Bruce, “Okay Bruce, we’ll stay on the farm but you have to promise not to do any stupid shit,” she informed him. Bruce just nodded his agreement.
“Bruce, I’m going to start the recovery of the survivors tomorrow after Omega pulls out,” Mike told Bruce.
“That’s fine. I want Omega to spend today with their family and friends. Tomorrow we load up and leave,” Bruce informed everyone. The group just nodded wondering what the hell Bruce was fixing to unleash on the Earth.
Chapter 5
Over a thousand miles away in western Colorado two men were staring at a monitor looking at the farm as the clan ate breakfast. “Where do you think they’re fixing to attack Colonel?” one of the men asked the other.
“I have no idea but it’s close to them, General. They aren’t loaded for a long expedition,” the Colonel replied.
“So you don’t think they’re coming here?” the General asked.
“No sir, not with a small team like that,” the Colonel answered.
“They could be coming to scout us out,” the General challenged.
“Sir, they have UAVs for that. If they were coming here to scout they’d have more or fewer. I think they’re going to hit the other gangs around them,” the Colonel said.
The General looked at the Colonel. He was a black man in his early forties with a shaved head. Standing at six foot two, the Colonel carried his two hundred and twenty pounds well. “So you still think they aren’t a military unit that was cut off?” the General asked.
“No sir, don’t get me wrong, I think they have a lot of military there with them but I believe that they are a group of survivors,” the Colonel replied looking at the General. The General was a man in his late fifties, overweight standing less than six feet.
“Well we should make them join us,” the General told him.
“Sir, that would be a waste of valuable resources,” the Colonel replied.
“We have over ten thousand troops here along with three hundred helicopters. You honestly think they can take us?” the General asked.
“General, there are millions of infected between them and us. We couldn’t make it to them without some serious losses. Even if we could make it to them and they didn’t want to join we would encounter more losses,” the Colonel answered.
“They’re only two thousand or so there,” the General told him.
“I know that sir, but to date, they are the only ones to wipe out a horde and that
was after getting hit by a determined attack. We barely have enough fuel here to run the generators to keep up our UAVs. Our food will not last more than another year. They have none of those problems. When that group moves out they pacify an area then take what they need. We just send out troops to get killed for nothing,” the Colonel told the General.
“Careful Colonel, we still report to the civilian authority. They wanted us to try for more food and fuel,” the General told him.
“Sir, they have killed over five thousand of our troops sending them out in small groups. We are guarding over forty thousand civilians who we should be teaching to fight. Instead we sit in this valley forcing them to work trying to grow food, which isn’t working. Winter almost wiped us out and if a horde finds us, they will wipe us out. We don’t have any defensible positions to make a stand. Hell we don’t really have the ammo for a horde,” the Colonel spat out.
“Colonel, watch your attitude,” the General warned.
“Sorry sir but we should have the civilians at least making our defenses stronger not trying to grow corn. That group there has enough ammo on hand to kill every infected on this continent and they are growing their own food sitting behind a secure fence,” the Colonel pointed out.
“Colonel, there are five more ammo holding areas for us to get to and all of them are bigger,” the General replied.
“Sir, they are all a long way off,” the Colonel interrupted.
“Colonel, don’t interrupt again. Now we can go to the ammo areas if we need to. The President is talking this over with his advisors to ask this group to join us. If they don’t, we will wipe them out,” the General said.
The Colonel just looked at the General in shock, “How sir? We don’t have a nuclear option. The president may have the codes but no one is in the silos. None in the Navy are even responding to our calls any more even though we can see them parked off Australia. We know that group in Louisiana has a nuclear option. We saw them open up the bunkers at the air force base. The only thing we know they don’t have up and running is radar,” the Colonel replied.
“No, the President and advisors said if we have to, they will order the military to wipe them out,” the General answered.
“You’re kidding right? We would lose half our force, at least, just getting to them. That’s if we could get enough fuel to get us there. The command bunker and the civilian authority buildings are the only ones we are supplying power to. Our current fuel storage for aviation fuel we could only take fifty helicopters on this attack. They do have a Patriot system but haven’t put it in operation-,” the Colonel stopped when the General lifted his hand up.
“If they say attack, we attack,” the General stated firmly.
“Yes sir but listen to me first please,” the Colonel pleaded. The General nodded his head. “Sir, I say let them wipe out the area of blues and gangs. They’re good at that now. By winter they’ll have a large buffer zone around them and if we have to attack them, we won’t get hit by a horde. The area will be pacified and we can build a larger compound. If they join us then so be it, we don’t have to fight,” the Colonel told him.
The General grinned thinking about it. “How big an area do you think they can pacify by winter?” he asked.
“My estimate would be two hundred miles in every direction,” the Colonel answered. The Colonel hated the General but had to think up something because the group in Louisiana was the only group doing something to retake America. The Colonel just wanted the General to leave them alone and laughed at the thought of the President. The President used to be the Secretary of State but was handed the presidency when Air Force one went down.
“That’s good thinking Colonel. We let them do the hard work then move on them,” the General laughed. The General didn’t like the Colonel any more than the Colonel liked him. In the General’s eyes the Colonel was stupid, always worrying about the civilians but he was a great thinker in military strategies. Without the Colonel, the General knew that they would’ve lost a lot more men setting up this area in western Colorado. “I’ll let the President know our recommendations,” the General informed him.
‘Yeah right,’ the Colonel thought to himself. “That’s good sir,” the Colonel replied.
The General left the Colonel who turned to look back at the monitor. Looking at the monitor the Colonel wished a horde would come and wipe out their camp just to give that group in Louisiana a chance. The Colonel really wanted to run down and join the group.
They had found the group in December with a UAV when for some reason they couldn’t get the only satellite they had to lock on the area. Over the months they had watched the group go out and collect survivors and take back the land around them. Then they watched the attack and everyone thought the group was going to be wiped out. First, by the gang, then by a horde, and not only had they stopped the gang but wiped out a horde. No group on Earth, except the Israelis, had wiped out a horde and they had used a tactical nuke. Nothing was heard out of Israel now. The only area that had a viable population was Australia.
Australia had closed all ports and airfields in the first days of the virus. They had killed over ten thousand people that were infected. The Australian government had allowed the US Navy to come ashore after they were quarantined. After the President ordered the Navy to mount a rescue for him and they lost several thousand people, the Navy abandoned him heading to Australia.
The camp they had set up had literally been set up overnight. Thousands of tents and trailers were brought in to house people. Food was only military rations and they had less than a year left. There was no runway for airplanes, just a large field for the choppers.
During the first two months, Homeland Security had executed anyone that didn’t conform to their standards. The Colonel had done what he could to save some, but couldn’t save many. Looking at the monitor the Colonel said a silent prayer that the group would stay strong. This was not the Army he signed up for. His job was to protect America and America was her people who loved her.
Chapter 6
Bruce was standing with the rest of Omega getting ready to leave. Angela, Stephanie and the kids were all hugging him. Everywhere the clan was wishing their warriors well.
Looking around Bruce yelled, “Omega load up!” As the team loaded up he turned to the family. “I won’t be far, be careful and keep your head. We’ll be fighting so don’t freak out and try to come and help. You won’t make it in time and would only get killed. I’ll watch over them,” Bruce told them.
Mike walked over and hugged Bruce, “Brother, just don’t try to kill all of them your first time out,” he told Bruce.
“I won’t, I have to save some for later,” Bruce told him as Mike let him go. Normally Mike would have laughed but this time he knew Bruce meant it. ‘He will get over it,’ Mike thought to himself.
Bruce turned around and climbed into his squad’s LAV. Turning around, “I love you,” he told the group as the convoy pulled out.
Watching the convoy pull out, the family just stood rooted to the ground. When the guard called that the gate was closing Mike, Nancy, Stephanie and Angela turned and ran for the house leaving the kids with Susan. Running upstairs they ran to Debbie’s nightstand. Stephanie opened the drawer and started passing out letters to those present.
Everyone carefully opened them up and read the pages inside. Of course Stephanie was the first one done as she just dropped down on the bed. Seeing everyone still reading, Stephanie went to the closet and opened up the cedar chest with Debbie’s journals. Pulling it out she started to arrange them in order.
The notes to everyone were all over twenty pages long and after they read the letters they reread them. An hour later everyone was just sitting on the floor with tears in their eyes. Nancy was the first to break the silence.
“She could’ve told me,” Nancy said to no one.
“No she couldn’t, you would’ve tried to change it,” Stephanie told her.
“Of course I would’ve,
” Nancy shot back.
“Then we would’ve died,” Angela told her. Nancy just looked at the two of them not knowing what to say.
Stephanie stopped stacking notebooks and looked up with tears running down her face at Nancy, “Nancy, I knew but I didn’t believe her. I thought she was talking about a lot later in life but I was wrong. Debbie told me it had to happen so we could have a chance. Debbie sacrificed herself for us. Was she right? I don’t know, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let her sacrifice be in vain,” Stephanie told her.
“We could’ve left,” Nancy said crying.
“The kids would’ve died later with everyone else,” Angela told her.
“We don’t know that!” Nancy yelled.
“Debbie did,” Angela told her. “Debbie said her Daddy told her in her dreams what was going to happen and even gave her choices she could make. If she sacrificed herself for the family and the clan, humanity would be given a chance to survive. She said Bruce was the bearer of the burden. Her only worry was he would die alone with no one if he took up the task. She never said it in my letter but I think the reason for Stephanie and I is to help Bruce retain his humanity to save ours,” Angela said.
Mike smiled, ‘Damn these girls are smart,’ he thought. Mike reached over to hold Nancy’s hand. Nancy just looked at him, “You should’ve told me,” Nancy told him.
“I couldn’t baby, I’m sorry, don’t be mad at me please. I promised Debbie I wouldn’t because you could’ve changed her mind,” Mike told her.
“I can’t be mad at you! Debbie said she’d never forgive me for that in my letter,” Nancy sobbed as Mike pulled her close.
Hugging Nancy, Mike looked at Stephanie and Angela, “When do you think Bruce will let it go?” he asked.
“Debbie said in her notebook only you would know when it would happen and the time had come. It might cost you your life but only you would know when,” Stephanie told him.
Nancy lifted her head up asking, “You’ve read the red notebook?”
“Only the first few pages, the rest is for Bruce. When he reads it, Debbie gave him permission for the rest of us to read it,” Stephanie told her. Then Stephanie stood up and walked over to the night stand and pulled out a small six by nine notebook. “This is yours Nancy,” Stephanie said handing her the notebook.
Blue Plague: Rage Page 5
