Dranko received many thanks as they dispersed. As the group made their way upstairs he called after them, “Thank me by using it all well out there, God forbid the need arises,” he paused, “and keeping your damn mouths shut about where you got any of it!”
After everyone else had left, Cooper turned to Dranko, “I have to say, you are one cunning bastard. How’d you keep all of this,” he said with a wide sweep of his hand, “secret from me, your theoretical best friend?”
A sheepish smile swept onto Dranko’s face, “Damn, I just had to keep this from everyone. Too many problems with people knowing.”
“I wouldn’t have told anyone about it.”
“True. I trusted you not to tell anyone. Except one person. You would have told Elena. Every man tells his wife everything. He has no secrets from her—except his mistress or his gambling, of course” he laughed at his own joke. Turning serious, “And, I had no idea who she might tell.”
Cooper looked at his shoes, “OK. You got me there. Well, it’s a damn fine thing, you having all this.”
“Exactly.” Dranko paused and then the same smile he’d worn before crept back onto his face, “There’s just one more thing.” Cooper cocked his eyebrow as he watched Dranko move to a corner of the room and open a locked cabinet.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed as Dranko turned around, revealing what he had recovered.
Dranko was smiling like a boy who’d stolen a cookie from his mother’s jar, “I only had one extra, so I had to wait until everyone else had left.” Dranko crossed the room and handed it to him.
Cooper took the vest, heavy with bulletproof armor plates, “Well, thank you, Dranko. I appreciate your trust.” Cooper nodded to Dranko and the warmth of friendship lingered between them.
The two men held their gaze for a long pause. Then, Dranko interjected, “Hell, brother, it ain’t trust. I just know you’re a lousy soldier and you’re liable to be shot a dozen times for every one you dish out. You need the protection more than anything else!”
Cooper returned the smile, “Duly noted. But, there’s no doubt that all of my combat time is going to be pulling your sorry ass out of trouble, so it’s clear that it’s your self-interest in protecting your virtually worthless bag o’ bones that has you giving me this.”
The two men laughed until they cried. Jake stood silently in the corner, smiling but not fully understanding the men’s humor.
After the laughter subsided, Cooper looked back at him, “As you’re distributing things at my place, I need to make a circuit of our neighborhood. We need to do some things to restrict access and to create some defensible positions.”
Dranko nodded, “I was wondering when you’d get around to that.”
Two hours later, Cooper met Dranko back at his own house. He and Calvin had sketched out a rudimentary plan for installing barricades and firing positions at each of the entrances to their neighborhood. Cooper had clapped himself on the back for remembering to pull Calvin into the plan early. The main building materials for the barricades would be cars and anything else with enough bulk to stop a bullet. They had come up with a plan to construct a centrally located defensive position as a fallback in case a major attack occurred. Cooper grinned in satisfaction at that.
Dranko had finished disbursing the last of the weapons and reviewed the plans with Cooper intently. He made a few helpful suggestions.
“I need to make the circuit and round up the men again. I’d like to get this set-up before nightfall.”
“Why don’t you just call them up?”
“I don’t have their,” Cooper said seeing the sheet of paper bearing names, weapon, and cell phone numbers that Dranko was holding up, “numbers.”
Dranko grunted a smile at him.
“You are one damned fine logistics man, Mr. Dranko,” he said grabbed the list from him and tore it carefully in half, watching with amusement Dranko’s look of horror. “Now, you can help me with the calls.”
In no time, the men and women had reassembled. Cooper noticed how most of them now walked with more swagger and confidence, carrying their arms at port or slung over their shoulders, as they entered his home.
He had transferred his sketched diagrams onto a much larger piece of butcher paper, torn off some roll that had supplied Jake with art projects in the past. He wanted everyone to be able to see and understand the plans for the entire neighborhood. He pegged it to the wall so the group of thirty-odd could cluster around it and see it as he talked. As the group was assembling, Dranko sidled next to him and whispered, “Feels like the Sandbox,” referring to their shared time in Iraq.
“If we were in a tent, sand was filling my boots, and someone else was at the map laying out the mission parameters,” Cooper intoned back at him.
Dranko punched him in the shoulder, “You’re incorrigible.”
Cooper turned to the group, “Alright, soldiers…”
“Soldiers? Hey, Sarge, when we getting’ paid?” Freddie joked. The room echoed with nervous laughter.
Cooper remained at the front of the room, stone-faced, ensuring the laughter died prematurely, before it could reach its natural crescendo. He stared right at Freddie, “When you pick up that weapon, you become a soldier. What we’re about to go over is deadly serious. It could save someone’s life. More importantly, it could save mine. Or, the person sitting next to you.” He paused and people looked at each nervously. He had their attention.
Freddie had turned bright red, “Sorry.”
“There is no apology needed, Freddie. I know you’ll be a good, solid man on the line out there. Let’s review the plan.”
He turned toward the hand drawn map and began explaining what it all meant: the symbols, what the angles of fire were, basic protocols of guard duty, and the most rudimentary fundamentals of combat. He took questions as he went, but a few remained at the end.
“What vehicles do we use for the roadblocks? They could get destroyed, I can guess some people won’t want to put their car in harm’s way,” asked John.
“The older and more metal, the better,” Dranko answered.
“Raise your hand if you’ll agree to share in the cost of replacement for anyone’s car or truck that is destroyed or damaged during this crisis,” Cooper asked the group. Every hand went up. Except one. John’s. He gave him a hard look and John slowly, meekly raised his arm halfway up. “Dranko, take down the names of those with their hand up. John, we have your answer—we’ll replace them, if need be.”
“We can start with any cars that are no longer…er…needed,” Freddie added. As he realized what he was saying, his lips curled back in disgust.
“That’s a good idea. But, let’s get the oldest, most solid cars first. Think old Detroit Rolling Steel! They will stop bullets better than anything else.”
Mark piped up, “What do we call this fallback position, in case we need to use it?”
“The Alamo!” Peter shouted excitedly. There were spattering calls of approval.
“Everyone died at the Alamo,” Dranko remarked.
The room fell silent.
Calvin shot Dranko a wink, “How about Fort Prudence? We should only retreat if it’s prudent to do so and not out of panic. This will help us all remember it.”
“I like it,” Cooper said, “All in favor, say aye!” The room erupted in easy agreement.