by David Nees
Rodney looked out into the dim jumble of rooflines and trees. “I’m thinking the group should head to our right, towards the west side. That’ll take them away from the entrance.”
“I should stay with the main group, so you should sneak in,” Kevin said to Rodney.
Catherine spoke up. “And I want go with him.”
Kevin looked at her. “I don’t like that.”
“You said you needed to stay here, and so should Jason. Clayton doesn’t know the townspeople all that well. I’ll be able to communicate with Lori Sue, and I think I can do a good job if any convincing is needed to get all of them on board. This will be easy compared to today.”
“She makes a point,” Clayton said.
“I still don’t like it,” Kevin said. “At least you should take a second soldier. Three isn’t too large of a group.”
“I’ll take Bradley Thomas,” Rodney said. “He’s a solid soldier. And he can be quiet.” He turned and walked back toward the looming rectangle of the big troop truck.
A few moments Rodney returned with Specialist Thomas, followed by Kevin with three helmets in his arms. Mounted to the front of each were strange, boxy constructions, each with a single stubby lens pointing forward—night vision goggles. “These should help you navigate your way through the barrier.”
“Good call,” Gibbs said. He took two and handed them to Thomas and Catherine.
Catherine put her helmet on and it flopped down over her eyes. “It’s too big,” she said.
Kevin reached for the helmet. “I’ll find a smaller size,” he said and headed back to the truck.
In a minute he was back without a helmet. “Couldn’t find a small, so I got this headlamp harness.” He held out a webbed harness. “It goes over your head. This strap goes around your forehead, this one goes over the top. I can clip the goggles onto the harness. Put your ball cap on backwards and then put the harness over the cap.”
Catherine tried it on, and Kevin attached the goggles up at the top of her forehead and adjusted the straps until they were held securely. “That feels good. And it isn’t heavy like the helmet.”
“Okay, let’s gear up,” Kevin said. “Catherine, do you want an M16? It has an automatic fire switch.”
“No, let me keep my Bushmaster. I’m used to it.”
“One mag in your weapon and take four more with you,” Rodney said. “Now the radios.”
Kevin reached into the Humvee and pulled out two handheld field radios.
“How do those still work?” Jason asked.
Kevin smiled. “Protected circuits. They’re rechargeable with a crank charger.”
Rodney and Thomas put on their helmets. Kevin showed Catherine the switch to turn on the goggles. She flipped them down over her eyes and gasped. “Oh wow. It’s so bright. I can see everything.”
“That’s the idea,” Kevin said.
“And it’s all green.” Catherine flipped them up and stared around in the dark. “That makes such a difference. This will be easier than I thought.”
“We can only hope,” Rodney said.
“You better go,” Jason said gruffly. “We’re losing the night standing here.”
Catherine reached for him and gave him a hug. “I’ll be careful,” she said.
“Thank you,” Jason replied.
Then Catherine turned to Kevin, who stood there expectantly looking at her. There was a residue of confused anger still in her, anger that had no object. Her words were tight in her throat. “You be careful,” she said, her voice coming out more stiffly than she meant it to.
Kevin nodded. “You be careful too,” he said.
Chapter 53
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T he shapes of the convoy vehicles quickly disappeared into the dark as Gibbs and the others rounded a house. They were in a suburban area of empty houses, long deserted. With the goggles the walking was easy. At first there was little to worry about as they quietly made their way through the abandoned neighborhood, while keeping an eye out for patrols or sentries. But soon they crossed the street with the single line of ruined houses on the far side that were partially dismantled and entered the zone that had been cleared of all buildings. There was little cover now and they could see the wall. They dashed from hiding spot to hiding spot in a crouch, hunting for the few concealment points left in the open area, avoiding the open basements that now lay uncovered and filled with stagnant water.
“I hope the militia doesn’t have these goggles,” Catherine whispered to Gibbs.
“We have to assume they do,” he replied.
At each hiding place, they scanned the area ahead. As the rubble wall came closer, they could see no sign of guard posts along its top or along its base, for as far as they could see along the curve.
“They’re concentrating on the entrance points. We should be able to climb over without being detected,” Gibbs said after a long look to left and right.
When the wall was built, the town kept things simple. All the smaller roads into town were just blocked by the rubble.
“We’ll need to find a thin point to bring the convoy in. A place where we can just shove the rubble aside,” Gibbs said.
“You think we could find a place like that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Charlie Cook knows.” Gibbs sighed. “Everyone might have to climb over like we’re going to do.”
“You like that gamble?” Thomas asked.
“Better than getting caught and engaged in a firefight outside of town. That’s what Stansky’d like. We’ll have to find a spot or do it the hard way.”
“Tough choices,” Thomas said.
The wall was about seven feet high at the point they were approaching. It was not as imposing as it had been around the main gate, there were no car bodies in its base, but it looked dangerous. Here it was really more of a construction trash pile, built up of building rubble, concrete blocks, rocks, lumber, metal beams, gravel, and miscellaneous debris. At any time one part of it could come loose as someone climbed it, burying them, or perhaps the whole thing would sag into a new point of stability, crushing anyone caught on it. Catherine suppressed a shudder at the sight. At night, without the goggles, it would have been nearly impossible to scale without incident.
They covered the last thirty yards in a dash. There was no cover. Gibbs looked up for a moment; he grabbed something and began to climb. Catherine and Thomas started to climb as well, but a soft whisper stopped them. “One at a time.”
Catherine went next with Thomas last. A cascade of rubble followed him as he descended and the three were inside. They looked around at the buildings, clearly illuminated by their goggles. The houses stretched out along the blocks, with larger buildings visible in the distance. No hints of candlelight showed in any of the windows.
“Where are we?” Catherine whispered.
“Not exactly sure, but I’ll get my bearings as we move into town. Don’t worry. I’ve got Lori Sue’s address and I’ll get us there. Just have to get some street names so I can orient myself. This way.” He led them quickly across the street and along it to their left.
They kept to the shadows, staying close to the buildings, and carefully scanned the intersections. The street crossings exposed them to anyone who might be keeping a lookout. Occasionally they heard the sound of a vehicle far off across town, but none came in their direction.
“We get close to Lori Sue’s place, I’m betting we’ll run into some of Chief Cook’s men,” Gibbs remarked.
“Dangerous?” Thomas asked.
“Could be. They’ll be skittish about anyone moving around at night. We got to not look like a militia patrol.”
“Will they recognize us?” Catherine wondered. “If they think we’re militia, they’ll just hide…or shoot at us.”
“We have our uniforms on,” Thomas said.
“Won’t help much in the dark,” Catherine said.
“Both of you quiet down. Less talk, more listening,” Gib
bs said in a harsh whisper.
After seven blocks of walking south and then east, the environs had become discernibly more neglected. Gibbs stopped and took off his helmet. “Take off your helmets,” he told them. “Hook your arm through the strap. Let’s all take our rifles and hold them under our jackets.”
They moved more openly as they approached their objective. Suddenly Gibbs stopped them again.
“Catherine, take off your cap,” he whispered.
“What?” She wore a billed cap, with her hair in a ponytail to keep it out of her face.
“Take it off. And let your hair down. I don’t think there are any females in the militia, so if anyone sees you, they’ll know we’re not them.”
Catherine turned to look at him, “You think that will help?”
Gibbs shrugged. “It won’t hurt.”
They walked on, searching for any sign of light in the buildings, listening for any sounds as they went. Except for distant sounds, nothing disturbed the dark and quiet of the night.
“This could get us killed,” Thomas complained. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
I’ve got an idea,” Catherine said.
The two men looked over at her.
“Why don’t I just call out for Chief Cook? We can’t really hear what’s going on in Stansky’s section of town so they shouldn’t be able to hear us. When we get close to the building, I could identify us and call out for Chief Cook.”
“We could try that. Militia raiding parties don’t announce themselves,” Rodney said.
When they got to the block that contained the right street number, Catherine began to call out. Just before they reached the building, they heard someone shout, “Stop! You’re covered from multiple positions. Don’t reach for your weapons. Identify yourselves.”
“I’m Sergeant Gibbs. I’m with a squad led by Lieutenant Cameron. With me are Catherine Whitman and Specialist Thomas. We’re here to connect with Chief Cook.”
“What’s your mother’s name and your sister’s name?”
Catherine spoke up. “I assume you’re asking me. My mother’s name is Anne and my sister is Sarah.”
“Wait where you are. Don’t try to leave the area.”
Some five minutes later, which seemed like hours to Catherine, the front door of the apartment building opened and two men stepped out. As they approached, she could recognize Chief Cook from his white hair.
He came up to them and shook Rodney’s hand enthusiastically. “I’m sure glad you found us. Is everyone in the valley okay? Did you and Cameron get there in time?”
Gibbs hesitated. “We got there late, but the valley prevailed. Most of the raiders were killed or captured, but one escaped.”
“We’ve haven’t seen any increase in activity in town. They may not know about the outcome yet,” Charlie said.
“That’s what we’re hoping, but they will by tomorrow. We have to get the rest of the men inside the wall, tonight if possible.”
“Come on,” Charlie said. “We’ll figure out the best place to get through. Back to your places, everyone.”
He led them across the street into a three-story building that looked as if it had housed offices. They followed him up a dark flight of stairs and into a large room that was even darker. There was the sound of a match, and then they saw Charlie leaning over the growing glow of a gas lamp. After lighting it he moved across and checked the curtains that were tacked across the windows. The lamp sat on a large table in the center of the room, and spread on the table was what Catherine immediately recognized as a huge map of the city.
Gibbs stepped closer and looked at the map. The wall was drawn in as it curved around the city. The downtown area was marked, showing the central area of Stansky’s offices, militia compound and warehouses, and that part of the map was densely annotated with handwritten notes. The whole area was noted as ‘Militia HQ.’
His eyes followed the broad stroke of the wall, marked with a heavy black line. Along the western arc there was a break in the line. It was close to the river. He looked up at Chief Cook. Their eyes met. He was already nodding.
“That’s the best place to enter.” Charlie said. “The wall petered out at that point. It’s tricky through there. They’re going to dig out an old canal that ran through there. It used to divert flow off the river to feed a water mill. The city’s rebuilding the mill as a hydropower plant, so they need the flow, but that means they can’t wall that part off. The city keeps a small guard force there, two men. Where are your people?”
Gibbs leaned over and pointed to the main road heading north out of Hillsboro. “We stopped somewhere along this road, well before the checkpoint. Didn’t want to be heard. The trucks are pulled back onto a side road for concealment.”
Charlie looked at the map. He took a pencil from the end of the table. “The cleared area starts about here,” he said, putting a mark on the road north of the mark for the wall. “Since you hadn’t reached it yet, you’re somewhere north of this point.”
Gibbs pointed. “We walked to the west of the road to get across the wall.” He traced his finger along the map, like a hound trying to pick up a scent. He mumbled to himself, “We walked three blocks before coming to the cleared space.” Gibbs’s hand stopped circling and zoomed to the wall. “Bet we crossed here, and I’ll bet the convoy is located about here.”
“That’s good enough.” Charlie began to draw a path through the network of roads, keeping the line well back from the broad black bar of the wall, until he got close to the break. “That’s the route they should take. Now how do we tell them?”
Gibbs smiled. “We have radio contact with the convoy,” Gibbs said. He took off his pack and pulled out his radio.
Charlie looked surprised. “That’s great!” He stared at the device. “It’s a wonder it still works.”
“Hardened circuitry and hand-cranked chargers. It’s low tech but it works.”
“Do your people have a map of town? He asked.”
Gibbs nodded in assent.
“You should get them going. With the trucks it will take some time. Those are small roads, and I can’t speak for obstructions.” Charlie looked at his watch. “I don’t think they can make it before dawn.”
Chapter 54
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J ust before dawn, Charlie set out with Les Hammond and four other officers for the guard post at the gap. The morning shift for the guards began at sunrise, so he and his men would wait until after the changeover. That might give them as much as eight hours before anyone noticed something amiss.
After neutralizing the guards and securing them in an abandoned shack, Charlie took one of the men and walked him away from the group. He sat him down amidst the rubble, out of eyes or ears of everyone else.
“What’s your name?” Charlie asked the man.
“Steve.”
“Steve, we got a situation here. It’s dangerous for you. For all of us, really. So I’m going to ask you a few questions and you’re going to have to make a decision.”
Steve looked at Charlie suspiciously “We were told you weren’t in charge anymore.”
“Forget what you were told and listen. I don’t have a lot of time. Leo and the militia, the group you’re a part of, tried to murder the valley farmers, the ones who came to trade with us earlier this spring. The militia was defeated. Of the three truckloads of men who left, only one man got away. The rest were killed or captured.”
“Why should I believe you?”
He gave Steve a serious look.
“Just be quiet and listen,” Charlie said. “I’m giving you a chance to save your life. You keep interrupting, it won’t work. Right now you’re talking to someone who thinks like a cop. Lieutenant Cameron is coming with some soldiers, and if you and I don’t have an understanding by the time he gets here, he’ll decide what to do with you. This is now a war situation. You’re essentially a prisoner of war. The lieutenant knows we don’t have room or time
to hold prisoners of war securely. You might try to escape, and you know what happens to prisoners who try to escape?” Charlie leaned closer. “They’re shot. You get my point?”
Charlie saw the fear come into Steve’s face.
“You have the option to join our forces or remain a prisoner. If you don’t join us, after we defeat Joe you will be put on trial as a militia member, and I don’t think the townspeople will go easy on militia members.”
“What do I got to do?”
“Stay on guard duty, and when the next shift comes on, don’t let them know we brought these men in.”
“What if you lose? I’ll be killed by Stansky’s men. He’s got a lot of men.”
“We got a lot of men also. The valley people, the army, some mountain clan people, the police. And all of these people know how to use weapons and fight. They’re not amateurs.” Charlie let that sink in. “But if we do fail, I figure you’ll have a chance to talk your way out of any problems. You can say you were disarmed and forced to say what you said. Hell, no one may even figure out how they got in.”
“I don’t know—”
“You have one minute to decide,” Charlie said, looking at his watch. “I can’t spend more time with you, and I don’t even know if Cameron will want to talk. You seem like a decent guy, Steve. Are you on the side of killing men on trumped up charges, like what went on last week? Are you on the side of killing civilians, the people in the valley? Women and children?”
Steve looked down at the pavement and shook his head. “Nah, can’t say I am, but I don’t want to get myself killed either.”
“So what’s it going to be?”
Steve looked up at Charlie. “I guess I’ll put in with you. You’re holding the cards.”
“That’ll do for now,” Charlie said. He motioned with his pistol for Steve to get up.
He walked Steve back to Les. “I want you to stay with this guy. We’ll unload his weapon. When the next shift arrives, you can explain that the other guard took sick and you filled in. That’ll give us another 8 hours.”
