“Jack Walker,” I say, holding my hand out. He has a look of uncertainty which disappears quickly.
“Captain Raymond Leonard,” he says returning my shake.
I don’t miss the fact that he threw his rank in. I also note his quick glance at Bannerman and Frank noting their ranks. Another quick look of puzzlement crosses his face as, I assume, he is wondering why there is a major and colonel behind a captain. In the world past, due to his rank, Frank would have been the one in front talking. I observe the relaxed stance of the men behind Leonard taking everything in without being overly obvious. More interesting are the SEAL badges sewn into their fatigue tops.
“What unit are you with, captain?” Leonard asks, emphasizing the ‘captain’.
“We’re not with any particular unit. What you see is what’s left of various units. Most here are from Army units but we have a scattering of others. What exactly do you know about what happened?” I ask.
“Only what I’ve heard from you and the chief here,” he replies with a brief nod toward one of the men behind him.
I am about to ask what he’s been told by the chief and the story there when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I look over to the side and see a group of men heading across an open area toward one of the large buildings nearby.
“Are those your men?” I ask, pointing to the men and fearing they are actually about to head into the structure.
“Yes, captain, they are. We’re resupplying,” Leonard answers, narrowing his eyes.
“Are they going into that building?” I ask, hoping for a negative reply.
“Yes. That one and several others in order to restock our supplies,” he replies.
I turn back toward Leonard momentarily. “Seriously? You did hear what I said about going into buildings, right? About what happened and what is going on?”
Without waiting for a reply, I turn my head quickly back toward Lynn. She is standing in the center front of the teams watching our little group. Even from this distance, I see her eyebrows rise wondering about my quick movement. She knows me well and realizes that something is up.
“Lynn!” I shout and point toward the men about to enter a door into the warehouse. Lynn looks to where I am pointing. Seeing the men poised at the door in the near distance and knowing their intentions, she turns toward the teams standing at parade rest.
“Black, Blue, Charlie Teams on me,” she shouts, knowing exactly what is about to unfold.
Amid a clatter of noise from weapons being readied, Lynn begins trotting toward the warehouse. With their boots pounding on the hard surface, the three teams follow. The eighteen men and women head toward the large building in an attempt to stop the inevitable yet knowing they won’t be in time to stop the other group from entering.
I watch them race after and hear Lynn shout at the group from the sub to get their attention. I see no reaction from the people at the door and know Lynn won’t be able to get there in time. I cast out quickly and sense night runners within the warehouse and in several buildings in the area. My only hope is that Lynn and the teams arrive in time in order to get those starting to enter out safely. The thought of putting the teams at risk entering a darkened building arises. I have a momentary thought of not putting them in harm’s way but there are people in danger. We are here and if we can help, well, then we have to.
“Lynn, there are night runners inside. Watch your asses in there. Assess the risk and get out if you need to,” I say.
“Copy that, Jack,” she replies over the radio.
This happens in mere moments. I hear a clatter of weapons directly behind me. Turning, I see the SEAL team has brought their weapons up. Not aiming at us but definitely ready to do so. Looking over at the sub, I see several sailors lining the sub deck aiming weapons in our direction.
“Captain, those are my men and under my orders. We have every right to enter any facility on this base. As a matter of fact, being the ranking member here and with what you have told me, you are technically under my command. As far as I can see, I am the ranking officer on this base and therefore the acting base commander. You will tell your men to stand down,” Leonard says. His head is thrust forward with his lips drawn tight with determination. His eyes narrow.
I hear movement from the remaining teams. Glancing behind, I see Greg has spread out the teams in reaction to the sailor’s reaction. They have taken cover behind the vehicles. Soldiers climb in the Humvees to man the M-240s. Within seconds, the whine of the Stryker turrets reaches across the dock area as the guns are brought to bear. Tension fills the moisture-heavy air.
“Captain, they’re not going to stop your people, they’re going to try and rescue them,” I say, holding up my hand to Greg telling him not to take any action. I turn back to Leonard.
“Rescue them? What do you mean rescue them?” Leonard asks, his voice rising.
“You heard when I told you about the night runners, right? That building you just sent your men into is the perfect lair for them. They hide in darkened buildings. Your men will get torn apart inside. Did you send them in armed?” I ask.
Leonard stares at me for a moment. I can almost see the gears within turning. Whether he is thinking about his answer or absorbing the information is beyond me. The silence is virtually complete. Waves lap gently against the concrete dock. The cry of a lone gull drifts across the open waters. The faint sound of boots running on the ground as the teams race to the warehouse. The cotton gray of the clouds lie just overhead as if held up by the tension of the moment, muffling all sounds. Turning his head, Leonard gives a signal for the sailors to lower their weapons.
“No, Captain Walker, they are only armed with flashlights,” he finally replies.
Lynn watches as Jack and the other group comes together. The teams behind her are in formation at parade rest. Although she doesn’t think any violence will come from this meeting, she stands ready for anything. Everything she has gone through since waking and seeing her feverish roommate back in the sandbox has taught her to be ready for anything. The rules and the assumptions that governed society before everything went to hell have been thrown out of the window. Not only have they been thrown out, but they have been wiped out. The world is now filled with the unknown.
Night runners, bandits, small pockets of survivors, dwindling resources, and their own very survival fill this new world. Every day seems to bring something new and to let down your guard for a moment is an invitation to potential disaster. They have made it far in a short period of time but how long can they keep this up. There was a reason for soldiers to be rotated after a year. What will happen to them if they are still in this after a year… after two? Will they constantly have to react to how the night runners adapt? How far will they be able to adapt? What is up with some seemingly turning back? Will that happen more? Could it be they only have to hold out for a certain time and all of the night runners will eventually become human again? These thoughts hold her mind as she watches Jack, with Bannerman and Frank behind him, converse with this Captain Leonard.
Jack points off to the side and, after a second, turns quickly toward her. By his movement, she knows that he is worried about something. She has seen it enough times to instantly know something is wrong. The previous thoughts leave her mind. She tenses, ready to react to what is amiss.
“Lynn!” Jack shouts and points off to the side.
She looks and sees a group of people gathered near a door to a warehouse a short distance away. They appear to be about to enter. Immediately knowing they don’t know the danger they are about to enter into and sensing that Jack’s call was for her to gather teams to prevent or help them, she turns to the formation.